• Handwashing: Better health in 20 seconds

    Don't underestimate the benefits of thorough handwashing
  • Singing "Happy Birthday" can keep you healthier.
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    • CDC recommendations
      The most common types of germs or bacteria are found on door handles, handrails, grocery carts and other public places. Studies that have looked at the types of micro-organisms present on inanimate...
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      CDC recommendations
      The most common types of germs or bacteria are found on door handles, handrails, grocery carts and other public places. Studies that have looked at the types of micro-organisms present on inanimate surfaces, particularly high-use surfaces (ranging from door handles to rest rooms to money, grocery carts, etc). While various germs can be found on these surfaces, most have not been associated with disease outbreaks. Germs that can be of concern on these surfaces include viruses such as norovirus, flu and cold viruses and staphylococcus (staph). In the hospital environment, the range of viruses and bacteria that are of concern are much more extensive.

      Washing hands with soap and warm (110 degrees) running water for 20 seconds is the best way to reduce the number of germs on them. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.

      In a public bathroom, use a paper towel or tissue to open the door when you leave the bathroom, so you don't touch a handle that someone else touched with unwashed hands. This can reduce the chance of contracting germs that might be present on the door handle or knob.

      When someone has a cold or is sick around you, minimizing direct contact (such as touching) of someone with a cold or flu is likely to reduce the chance of catching the illness. Also, washing hands appropriately after contact with a person who has a cold is another strategy to minimize the risk. People who are sick should stay home.

      Handwashing in warm soap and water is the best, but using antibacterial gel or other forms of antibacterial sanitizers when water and soap are not available are a far better approach to keeping your hands clean than not doing anything at all.

  • Singing "Happy Birthday" can keep you healthier.
    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises washing your hands with soap and warm water for 15 to 20 seconds to kill bacteria.
    "When talking to groups about hand hygiene, I tell them if they sing the song 'Happy Birthday' while washing their hands, that when they finish the song, their hands will be clean," said Paulette Nish, vice president of patient care at Pocono Medical Center.
    In August, PMC and the Spirit of Women, a national network of hospitals, kicked off Hygiene Beyond Hand-washing, a public education program geared toward parents.
    The program starts with learning how to wash your hands the proper way and continues with hygiene through puberty and the teen years, she said.
    "This is an educational initiative to stress the importance of teaching hygiene regimens throughout early childhood to help prevent common conditions children may experience during puberty," she said.
    "Children learn by watching adults. They develop habits by watching grown-ups," Nish said. "That is why it is especially important for parents and adults to practice good hygiene, starting with proper handwashing."
    Young children who receive assistance in the bathroom might not touch the sink or toilet, but they should still wash their hands.
    "This introduces the child to the habit of washing your hands every time you use the bathroom," Nish said. "If parents make it a habit to supervise their child's handwashing routine, it will become second nature for the child. As they move into puberty, they will continue good hygiene."
    Making a game of washing their hands will make it fun, but they need an adult to make sure they learn to do it the correct way, Nish said.
    "I even kept a small stool in the bathroom when my children were small, so they could reach the sink by themselves," she said.
    When washing your hands in a public bathroom, Nish recommends using a clean paper towel to shut off the faucet and when opening the door to leave.
    "Although, there have not been any studies to show doing so improves health outcomes, this is certainly an option for people who want to be extra cautious," said Dr. Anna Bowen, handwashing expert at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
    One handwashing mistake that Ellen Novatnack, director of infection control and prevention at Coordinated Health/Bethlehem Hospital, often sees: People taking off their rings while they wash their hands.
    "If your hands are contaminated, then so is your ring. If you don't wash your ring and you put it back on your hand, then your hand will become contaminated," she said.
    Environmental health experts at the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Illinois reported that Berkeley students left alone under video surveillance touched their faces an average of 16 times an hour. Touching included adults rubbing their eyes, touching their mouth and blowing their nose.
    "Your eyes, nose and mouth are all places where bacteria can easily enter the body," Nish said.
    A 2008 Federal Drug and Food Administration study of 305 Detroit students who washed four times a day showed 24 percent of students had fewer colds and 51 percent had less stomach upset. At a Minnesota day care where teachers helped the children wash their hands every morning when they arrived and then disinfected all areas that parents may have touched, there were 50 percent fewer illnesses reported.
    Nish noted that once younger kids understand the handwashing routine, it will make the teen years easier.
    Teens need to shower often with warm soap and water. She also suggested wearing breathable cotton clothing to lessen perspiration, and using deodorant.
    The transition to and through puberty will be, therefore, a natural extension of lessons learned as a youngster.
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