If there’s one thing Covid taught us, it’s that handwashing is one of the easiest and most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs. A few years on, do you ever think about how many things you touch in a day? From doorknobs to phones, and even your pets, your hands are like magnets for germs.
What illnesses can be prevented?
You might be surprised at just how many illnesses can be stopped in their tracks with regular handwashing. Here are a few:
- Diarrheal diseases, which are among the leading causes of death in children under five, can often be prevented by washing hands with soap. Norovirus, for example, is a highly contagious virus causing severe vomiting and diarrhea and handwashing is crucial in preventing outbreaks.
- Respiratory infections, like the flu and the common cold, are also less likely to spread when everyone practices good hand hygiene. Even more serious infections like pneumonia and RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) which can be really serious for children and the elderly, can be prevented with good hand hygiene.
- Eye infections like pink eye (conjunctivitis), and Trachoma, which is a leading cause of preventable blindness in Africa. Handwashing can help reduce the transmission of the bacteria through eye-seeking flies and contaminated hands.
- Intestinal worms are widespread in SSA, especially in areas with poor sanitation. Handwashing helps prevent the ingestion of worm eggs and larvae from contaminated hands and surfaces.
It really works
The numbers don’t lie. Teaching people about handwashing helps them and their communities stay healthy. Washing hands has been shown to:
- lower the number of people who get sick with diarrhea by 23-40%
- reduce diarrheal illness in people with weakened immune systems by 58%
- lessen respiratory illnesses, like colds, in the general population by 16-21%
- decrease sick days due to stomach bugs (gastroenteritis) in schoolchildren by 29-57%
Conclusion
The best part about handwashing? It’s easy. You don’t need fancy equipment – just soap, water, and a little bit of time. It’s simple and powerful, so let’s keep those hands clean and spread health, not germs!
References
https://www.cdc.gov/clean-hands/data-research/facts-stats/index.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10203177/
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-022-14390-4
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6205565/
https://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/niaid-research-sub-saharan-africa
