Overview
Millions of germs live on the hands, including those that cause the common cold, influenza, meningitis, hepatitis Z, bronchiolitis and infectious diarrhea, according to Nemours KidsHealth; and the list of diseases does not stop there. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that the lack of proper hand washing contributes to influenza epidemics. The simple practice of hand washing is the most effective way to avoid contracting these diseases.
Problem
The Mayo Clinic reports that, since it is impossible to keep the hands clean during the day, continual hand washing is necessary to reduce the proliferation of germs. Hands should be washed after touching animals, blowing the nose, coughing, sneezing, gardening, cleaning the house, using the bathroom, and before and after eating, according to KidsHealth. Most people unfortunately view hand washing as an optional activity, even after using a public toilet.
Proper Technique
A regular hand washing regimen using soap, warm water and a proper technique that scrubs around the nails, fingers and both sides of the hands is required to kill germs. A National Institute of Health-sponsored study in 2002 found that antibacterial soap does not contribute a significant difference in destroying germs. Scrubbing should last at least 15 seconds to be effective, according to the Mayo Clinic. When warm water and soap are not available, the CDC recommends the use of alcohol hand cleansers and gel sanitizers.
Significance
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island reports that most workers have at least one cold each year. The CDC claims that “… nearly 22 million school days are lost each year to the common cold alone.” The total of worker absentee days converts into nearly $40 billion lost each year, including lost productivity, payment for medications and doctor visits. While an individual student absence may not impact the school, a day missed by a teacher, counselor or administrator who works with hundreds of students per day equates to substantial missed opportunity.
On the other hand, while the loss of a day or two from work or school may seem significant at the time, the alternative of spreading infection to others may have even greater adverse effects.
Benefits
The benefits from regular hand washing are obvious. Aside from the lost personal income and national productivity, reducing the number of 500 million colds each year relieves the health care system to treat other diseases. Washing also saves the expense and national supply of prescription drugs. A. Mark Fendrick, M.D., of the University of Michigan, noted that drugs have no effect on the common cold.
Expert Insight
The National Institutes of Health maintains that “hand washing is one of the most effective and most overlooked ways to stop disease.” A longitudinal study done in 1997 by the Behavioral Sciences Department at Purdue University Calumet in Hammond, Indiana, found that children aged 3 to 5 and their teachers who used sound hand washing techniques had significantly fewer colds and incidences of influenza as compared to a control group that did not follow a strict regimen of hand washing.
The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine reported a dramatic reduction in cases of H1N1 (swine) flu among children at a summer camp in 2009 who used alcohol sanitizers, practiced regular hand washing, and regularly cleaned sports equipment and surroundings.
About this Author
D.B. Ryan has been a professional writer and classical music conductor for many years. He has written four published history books and many biographical essays for scholarly publications. He holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati, the Cleveland Institute of Music and Indiana University.
