Since 2005, the World Health Organization has been\u00a0 leading a global effort to improve hand hygiene in order to reduce infections among healthcare workers and the patients that they care for. This initiative is recognized on May 5th every year throughout the world.
\nProper hand hygiene is very important in keeping germs from spreading from person to person. Hands should be washed:
\n\u2022\u00a0Before, during and after preparing food
\n\u2022\u00a0Before eating
\n\u2022\u00a0Before and after taking care of a person who is ill
\n\u2022\u00a0Before treating a wound
\n\u2022\u00a0After using the bathroom
\n\u2022\u00a0After sneezing, coughing or wiping a runny nose
\n\u2022\u00a0After taking out the garbage
\n\u2022\u00a0Before coming in to contact with a baby
\n\u2022\u00a0After touching pets
\nUsually warm water and soap are sufficient to clean your hands. If the cleanliness of the water is questionable, a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol can be used, keeping in mind that it may not remove all chemicals from the skin and doesn\u2019t kill all types of germs.
\nThere is no exact amount of time that hand washing should take but a good rule of thumb is about 20 seconds or about the same amount of time that it takes to sing the Happy Birthday song.<\/p>\n
All content of this newsletter is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page. You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this newsletter. PROMPTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR CALL 911 IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.<\/strong> <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Since 2005, the World Health Organization has been\u00a0 leading a global effort to improve hand hygiene in order to reduce infections among healthcare workers and the patients that they care for. This initiative is recognized on May 5th every year … Continue reading