Know it better: CONVERT YOUR HANDS FROM A "KILLER" TO A "FRIEND" HEALTH WISE

THE POWER OF CLEAN HANDS

Constantine Ntanguligwa (MD student Muhimbili university of health and allied sciences)
2140hrs 11th July 2016

TWO BIG QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED AT THE END:
1. HOW SHOULD WE WASH OUR HANDS?
2. WHATS THE PART THAT WE ALL FORGET TO WASH THAT CARRIES SO MANY GERMS?

Karibu tuzungumze;
You can never speak of human health and forget to mention the hands. Hands have a very diverse function in our life. They are used for all physical activities we are doing, walking, washing, cooking, eating , cleaning our selves when we use toilets etc etc.
It is for this reason as to why hands are rendered a threat to human health, the same hands you use to clean your toilets, the same hands you use for eating.
Consider this lady, can be a sample/model for all women at home:

Center for disease control and prevention(CDC)," Handwashing is like a "do-it-yourself" vaccine. Regular handwashing, particularly before and after certain activities, is one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick, and prevent the spread of germs to others. It's quick, it's simple, and it can keep us all from getting sick. Handwashing is a win for everyone, except the germs".

Public health scientists tell us about the vicious circle of poor health. We have heard of the saying,” prevention is better than cure”. A doctor treating you is not the point as to why you are existing. There are so many important and productive things you can do the time you would have spent a seeing a doctor and following the hospital care bureaucracy. Take an example a person who is treated from cholera and after treatment goes back to the same dirty environment drinking and eating un-hygenically. In the end you keep on being in the circle of sick-cured-sick-cured. Whats the point now? Are you making your body a store of medicine? Why shouldn’t you clean your water(by boiling for example) and eat well cooked food? This is the right cure you should give youself.
Analogously to the human hands. We carry so many germs from our activities, in things we hold and in hands we shake. Therefore we should clean our hands thoroughly well.

Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph(2015) tells us,”Good hand washing is the first line of defense against the spread of many illnesses — from the common cold to more serious infections, such as meningitis, bronchiolitis, the flu, hepatitis A, and most types of infectious diarrhea. Don't underestimate the power of hand washing! The few seconds you spend at the sink could save you trips to the doctor's office.”

WHEN SHOULD YOU WASH YOUR HANDS? Center for disease control and prevention(CDC) tells us:
Feces (poop) from people or animals is an important sources of germs. A single gram of human feces—which is about the weight of a paper clip—can contain one trillion germs. Help stop the pread of germs by washing your hands often, especially during key times listed below.
• Before, during, and after preparing food
• Before eating food
• Before and after caring for someone who is sick
• Before and after treating a cut or wound
• After using the toilet
• After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
• After touching garbage
Generally build a culture of washing hands before and after doing any event that involves hands.

THE TWO BIG QUESTIONS?
1. HOW SHOULD WE WASH OUR HANDS?

CDC tells us
• Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold)-for the benefit of cleaned germs to move with water, turn off the tap, and apply soap.
• Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure to lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers (very important) and under your nails (remember to keep your nails short if they must be long always strive to keep them clean).
• Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer?
• Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
• Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them (because once you live some water it may have germs you have just removed from your hands so dry you hands to eliminate the small chance of contamination)

2. WHATS THE PART THAT WE ALL FORGET TO WASH THAT CARRIES SO MANY GERMS?
The part that is so oftenly forgotten is between the fingers. This part is a reserve for so many germs.
NOTE:
We tend to have different styles for cleaning our hands usually affected with things like
There are people who just wash the tips of the fingers
Some just wash one hand
Some just scrub the palms

We shouldn’t entertain this as it endangers our health. Please lets build a culture of washing thoroughly ourselves as it has great impact in the well being of our health and stop a significant number of diseases.