ProWriters Hub Week 6: Wash Your Hands Regularly To Stay Healthy 14/8/2022

Introduction

Warmest greetings. One of the contest's topics last week's topics wasnpersonal hygiene and there we learnt that washing of hands is one of the ways that we can maintain good personal hygiene. This week washing of hands to stay healthy has been added again because we all know that it is very important and must be practiced by everyone.
Having said let's get to see the proper way of washing hand

Washing OF Hands, The Proper Way

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Proper washing of hands entails the use of running water, either warm or normal temperature and soap to clean off dirts that may have settled on the hands.
Although some people wash hands with water only, that isn't enough as it will not wash off the dirts properly, soap is needed.
Proper washing of hands is more or less like an activity which should take a period of about twenty minutes and there are steps to follow;

• Wet your hands under a clean running water or tap after turn it off.
• Next Lather hands very well with soap.
• Scrub hands together very well, use the left hand to scrub the back of the right hand, in between the fingers and wrists, do same with the right hand. Check the finger nails and under it for dirts that might have collected there and remove them too.
• Once done, rinse under running water, see to it that all the soap lather is completely washed off, then turn off the tap.
• Finally fling your hands gently to remove excess water then use a clean dry towel, paper towels, handkerchief to dry the hands, or use hand dryer if available.

What Activities Should We Wash Hands Before Or After Doing Them?

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Washing of hands is not limited to any activity, so far as our hands are active, doing one thing or another they should be washed. Some of these activities are;

• When you come back from work, shop, market, church, a visit etc.
• Before and after having a meal, snack, fruits, or anything food.
• Before, during and after preparation of food, or anything eatable.
• After visiting the toilet
• After farm work, gardening, cleaning the compound and packing refuse.
• After coming back from the dump site etc.
• Before and after attending to babies / children.
• Before and after attending to sick family members or other.
• After coughing, sneezing or blowing of nose.
• After playing with pets, and handling animals
• After visiting the poultry farm, fishery, piggery etc.
• After smoking.
• After touching or scratching other parts of the body.
  The list is endless. For me it has become a habit that once I arrive the office, clean my table and chair the next thing is to enter the convenience and wash my hands. Also once I return home, I equally move straight to the bathroom or convenience to wash my hands too.

If You Do Not Have Running Water From A Tap What Can You Do?

As it's advisable to wash hands under running water (tap) but in a situation where there's no running water available, you can do any of these;

• You can use bottled water as a substitute for running water to wash hands.
• Sachet water can also be used, but you may require someone to help you with it.
• If someone is around you, the person can assist by pouring the water over your hands while you wash.
• An alternative option is the use of alcohol based hand sanitizer, moist towellets or hand wipes.

Some Of The Diseases That Can Be Prevented By Washing Hands Regularly

It's a known of fact that regular washing of hands help prevent the spread of bacterial and viral diseases, some of which are;

• Respiratory infections like common cold, flu, cough, influenza, coronavirus, menengitis, etc.
• Chicken pox.
• Gastrointestinal infections like salmonellosis (which can be contacted by touching poop particles, raw meat, eggs etc).
• Norovirus (a dreaded gastrointestinal disease also called stomach bug)
• Skin ailments.
• Eye infection (pink eye or appollo as we call it here).
• Diarrhea
• Haepatitis A
• Staph Infection (which is caused by a bacteria commonly found on the skin and in the nose).
• Hand foot and mouth disease.

Do People In Your Area Wash Hands Regularly?

• In my home, yes. From when I was growing up, my parents wash their hands regularly. After waking up and praying, the next thing my dad does is to wash his hands, and face. My mom is not left out in this practice. They also wash hands after carrying out any activity that entails washing of hands. These habits I learnt from them and I teach others too.
• In my neighborhood, there's a tap, and I see some of them washing hands after carrying out any activity.
• At the office, people around me wash hands because there's provision for that.

What Can Be Done To Create More Awareness For Handwashing?

• Like the saying goes "charity begins at home" parents should endeavor to teach their children how to wash hands right from childhood.
• Schools should build taps with clean running water, and school children taught how to wash hands too.
• Offices, companies, should also make provisions for taps flowing with clean running water.
• There should be provision of tap with clean running water at every public place like motor parks, public toilets, cinema, amusement parks/ gardens, market, restaurants, fast food restaurants, banks etc. Some banks still have such taps till date.
• Private individuals, organizations or the government can design flex banners with important information about hand washing, which will be hung at strategic locations.
• Continuous sensitization programs on handwashing should be carried out by the Centre for disease control (CDC) through the media, television, radio, etc.

End

Hand washing is important and should be practiced regularly by everyone to reduce the spread of deadly disease.
Everyone should also be involved in the campaign of hand washing.
Thank you for reading.