Hey guys, hope you had a great weekend? Mine was exhilarating, it was comic con on Saturday and the event was just awesome. So many great talents and the geeks ( sigh*)…I felt at home:), lol. Alright, enough about my weekend, let’s get real for abit.
So I remember in 2014 when we had the first Ebola incidence in Nigeria. It was a pretty uncomfortable period for Nigerians. It felt like an alien race had just invaded the country seeking human bodies as hosts for survival. Every person was a “usual suspect” and the paranoia was crazy but expected.
People suddenly became very cautious of who they had associated with, what they had eaten and even where they had been. Let’s not even talk about people who use the public transport system ( which is a ridiculously large percentage of people!!!). I bet alot of persons wished there was a “hyperdrive or light speed activation button” so they could get to their destination on time and be away from ” people” ( which was somewhat a misery at that time).
Proper hygiene was the talk of the day and hand sanitizers were ” gold”. Those who sold them were chilling on yachts and five star hotels ( ok, I am just exaggerating but they made some really good cash though…lol).
A lot of awareness programs and campaigns were organised to educate people on how to prevent and protect themselves from the disease. I was fortunate to be involved in some of them and a lot of emphasis were made on one very simple act …” Hand washing“.
You are probably wondering, why the Ebola gist? Well, Ebola is a really creepy , dangerous and very infectious disease that has claimed the lives of many and just like Ebola, there are other deadly infectious diseases. The organisms responsible for such diseases get into the human body when we come in contact with contaminated surfaces or infected persons and the most likely part of the body to harbour such organisms are the hands. That is why emphasis are made on hand washing as a preventive measure in many of these infectious diseases like Ebola.
My point is, if a simple act such as hand washing can help prevent such a devastating plague, I believe we can acknowledge it’s importance in keeping us healthy and alive.
The neccesity of hand washing is no new knowledge to us. However, many people are yet to make it a habit and even some of those who try do not do it properly ( yes, there is a procedure to it).
A study was carried out in 2013 by researchers from Michigan state university. The study was based on an observation of 3,749 people using public rest rooms.
According to the lead investigator of the study Carl Borchgrevink, the findings of the study showed that only 5 per cent of people washed their hands well enough to kill the germs that could cause infections. 33 per cent of the people didn’t use soap to wash their hands and 10 per cent didn’t wash their hands at all. According to the findings also , men were particularly bad at washing their hands ( nice going guys😒). Pretty lousy result huh, just when you think people remember mum’s reoccurring advice on washing hands after using the restroom well they don’t.
Everyday we engage in various activities, visit different places and associate with different people.it is important to keep in mind that germs are inevitable organisms that we come in contact with directly or indirectly ( except you from the 40th century where there are germ free force fields and teleportation is trendy…wouldn’t be bad if that was real, lol) and our hands are the most likely part of the body these germs tend to latch on because we make alot of contact with them ( like I said earlier). That is why hand washing is a very essential part of good personal hygiene.
According to the Center for Disease Control and prevention(CDC), hand washing is the single most effective way of preventing infectious diseases. Failing to wash hands has contributed to 50 per cent of all food borne illnesses outbreaks.
So we see that as simple as the act may seem it does contribute a great deal to living a healthy lifestyle and it should be taken seriously.
How do you wash your hands?
How to wash your hands by the labourers Health and Safety Funds of North America ( LHSFNA).
It takes about 15 to 20seconds to properly wash your hands with soap and water to kill off germs. The study I mentioned earlier found out that most people washed their hands in 6 seconds which is totally off. Here is a brief illustrations on how to wash your hands properly;
- Wet your hands with water ( cold or warm), turn off the tap and apply soap
- Lather your hands by rubbing them together with soap. Ensure that it gets to the back of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails.
- Scrub your hands thoroughly for 2oseconds ( hum the birthday song, it’s a great timer:)).
- Rinse yours hands for properly and clean
- Dry Your hands with a clean towel or air dry them ( note: though air dryers are cool, paper towels do a more effective job at drying the hand of all water residue and also reduces the amount of bacteria found on the hand).
When do you wash your hands?
- Before,during and after preparing food.
- After using the toilet
- Before and after treating an injury or wound
- Before and after caring for a sick person
- After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing
- After handling garbage
- After changing diapers or cleaning up a baby who just used the toilet
- After touching animals
- After handling animal feed
- After handling chemicals or dangerous substances
We cannot accurately account for where our hands have been everyday and this makes us susceptible to germs and diseases. This is why hand hygiene is a very important part of a healthy lifestyle. Like I said earlier, it is no new knowledge but it is important to be reminded of its value to life. So i implore us to adopt the habit if you haven’t been doing it so much or well either because frankly ” clean hands save lives”. Have a blessed week guys :), ciao!!!
"Just a concerned earthling" 