Hand Washing Is A Science

Handwashing with soap is the most effective and cheap way to prevent colds, flu, diarrheal and acute respiratory infections.

"Hand washing has a huge health impact" says Anna Bowen, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Contol and Prevention in Atlanta.

According to Michael Smith, WebMD's chief medical editor in Atlanta, "Eighty percent of infections are transported by touch, so hand washing is the number one thing you can do to prevent infection."

With so many colds and flu viruses floating around filling the streets, classrooms, offices, factories and daycares with coughing, sneezing, sniffling people there's a simple way to avoid joining them.

Wash your hands!

"Do it often," the World Health Organization says, "and you'll stay a lot heathier...24 percent less likely to get a respiratory infection and 45-50 percent less likely to get a stomach bug."

Did you know that diarrhea kills about 2 million children a year worldwide? According to The Global Handwashing Organization, a review of all the available evidence suggests that handwashing with soap could reduce diarrhea incidences by 47% and save at least one million lives a year. That's pretty amazing!

So, shouldn't washing your hands after you use the bathroom be enough?

No! Take an opportunity to wash your hands whenever possible, as often as possible. Anytime you touch something someone else has touched germs will be spread. You can't deny it- we all touch many things, every day, that have already been touched by somany.

Researchers from the American Society for Microbiology did a survey that revealed 91 percent of Americans said they always washed after using a public restroom. But when researchers observed only 83 percent actually did wash.

When people do wash, they quickly run their hands or just fingers under the water, with a little soap, rinse and then go. This is clearly not enough to do any good.

How long should I wash?

The U.S. Center for Disease Control reccommends a vigorous 20 second hand wash once hands are lathered up. The friction and duration is what will wash away the germs. Make sure you get under the fingernails and in between the fingers while scrubbing. Also, the tempurature of the water is not as important as the scrub.