The Soap and water routine

Besides it being a simple habit to acquire, frequent hand-washing is the first line of defence against disease-causing germs                                                                                                                                                                                            GEETA PADMANABHAN

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE: Children washing their hands with soap.

Without hand-washing, these invisible villains (germs) get passed from person to person and make people sick

HANDY TIPS                                                                                                                                                              

Wash hands thoroughly:

*After using the toilet  

*immediately after returning from school                                                                                                                        

*before eating                                                                                                                                                                  

*after using a tissue or handkerchief to blow your nose, sneeze, cough                                                                        

*after walking the dog, handling rubbish or working in the garden                                                                                  

*after handling animals                                                                                                                                                    

*after visiting sick friends/relatives                                                                                                                  

 What do you do when you reach home from school? Put down the school bag and speed into the kitchen for snacks and a drink? You’re hungry, tired of school, raring to rush to the maidan for your game. Fair enough. But one pit-stop on the way to the kitchen will ensure that you stay free of sneezing, cold, cough, runny nose, stomach bug and a host of other problems. It is simple: Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water when you return home – from school, tuitions, bicycles-rides, games, outings, shopping – whatever. Give your hands the S-and-W treatment before eating, after using the toilet, after using the toilet, after handling raw vegetables/meat in the kitchen, after project work – wash hands and remain disease-free.

Frequently hand-washing is the best way to keep yourself from getting sick and prevent germs from spreading. It is the first line of defence against germs. It may even help prevent skin and eye infections. You load up on germs from your surroundings, unknowingly touch your eyes, nose, mouth or a tear in the skin. You get infected(catch a cold maybe) and before you say “achchoo!” everyone around has got it. Washing hands thoroughly is the easiest)and the cheapest) way to keep away many diseases – from the common cold to serious illnesses like meningitis, bronchiolitis, the flu, hepatitis A, and most types of infectious diarrhoea. These are illnesses that are difficult to spell, difficult to shake off!

Poop from people and animals breed germs like Salmonella, E. coli O157, and norovirus that cause/spread diarrhoea, adenovirus and hand-foot-mouth disease. Germs from unwashed hands(after using the toilet)get transferred to things like handrails, table-tops, bicycles, toys. They stick to hands when people touch them. Say, someone coughed or sneezed on an object (a movie seat) or left some other contamination on it, you touch the same object.

Without hand-washing, these invisible villains get passed from person to person and make people sick. Germs from unwashed hands can get in to foods and drinks. They can multiply in some types of foods or drinks and make you sick. You may not have realised it, but washing hands is such a pleasant thing to do. On a hot day, hand-washing in cool (not cold) water instantly refreshes you. On a cold day washing in hands in like warm water does the same thing.

A lot of people who value cleanliness and health wash their face and feet while washing hands. They will tell you how washing hands/face/feet after being outside in the heat and dust is such a good pick upper. Follow it with a long drink of cool water, and you feel new again.

There is a method to washing hands. Remember, you have to scrub those pesky germs away. So, wet your hands, and lather up with soap (liquid/solid) for 20 seconds. See that the soap gets between fingers, under the nails(germs cling to these places) and around the wrists. Rub soapy water around the hands and rinse well in running water. Then dry with a clean towel. Do this a few times a day and you can save trips to the doctor. When you wash hands, make sure everyone else in the family/class does it.