Hand washing is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of infections such as the common cold and gastro infections.
“Good” hand washing techniques include using an adequate amount of soap, rubbing the hands together to create friction, and rinsing under running water.
When there is no soap or water available, one alternative is to use hand sanitisers or waterless hand wash.
Hand washing education in a environments such as a rowing club or school:
- Reduces the number of people who get sick with diarrhoea by up to 40%
- Reduces respiratory illnesses, like colds by up to 20%
- Reduces absenteeism due to gastrointestinal illness in schoolchildren by 30 – 60%
Great demonstrations on how to wash your hands can be found at:
- https://www.cdc.gov/cdctv/healthyliving/hygiene/fight-germs-wash-hands.html
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw6WfyzSPXU
- Wiggles hand washing song: https://youtu.be/w_RwRoiwe6Q
- https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/all/prevention/hand-hygiene
