Handwashing has received considerable attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a simple, cheap, and easy primary preventative measure that most people can do independently.
Campaigns such as National Handwashing Awareness Week (December 1st - 7th) serve as a reminder to be vigilant about handwashing—especially during this period of cold and flu season. Rigorous implementation of proper handwashing is an important strategy to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and all other forms of infection. It is one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick, and prevent the spread of germs to others. Whether you are at home, at work, traveling, or out in the community, handwashing with soap and water can protect you and your family. Although the importance of handwashing is routinely acknowledged, a religious application of this practice still does not exist. Discussion in modern medicine on the subject of handwashing consistently indicates it is the single most important factor in preventing spread of infections.
Our hands are a critical vector for transmitting microorganisms and failing to wash our hands frequently is very dangerous. Scrubbing hands properly with soap and water, for at least twenty to thirty seconds or humming the happy birthday song to the end twice, promotes the capacity of water to remove dirt and pathogens from the hand. The removal of pathogens reduces their efficiency of transmitting diseases from the hands of an infected person to those of an uninfected person, and also from an uninfected person to the respiratory tract.
In general, proper handwashing technique using soap and water is the ideal way to eliminate germs and pathogens. However, in a situation when soap and water are not readily available, the use of hand sanitizer containing at least 60% of alcohol is the second-best option. If hand sanitizer is used, it is always important that we wash our hands as soon as possible when we do get access to handwashing facilities.
In the context of COVID-19 prevention, in honoring National Handwashing Awareness Week, and as a general best practice, we should make sure to wash our hands during the following times: after blowing our noses; coughing or sneezing; visiting public spaces including public transportation, markets, and places of worship; touching surfaces outside of the home including money; before, during, and after caring for a sick person; and before and after eating.
Steps to Successful Handwashing
Wet hands with running water.
Apply enough soap to cover wet hands.
Scrub all surfaces of the hand including back of hands, between fingers, and under nails for at least 20 seconds.
Rinse hands thoroughly with running water.
Dry hands with a clean cloth or single-use towel.
How to Wash Hands Properly
References
Handwashing Liaison Group. Hand washing. BMJ. 1999;318(7185):686. doi:10.1136/bmj.318.7185.686
Black R. E., et al. Handwashing to prevent diarrhea in day-care centers. American Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 113, Issue 4, April 1981, Pages 445–451, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113112
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020). Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID_19): FAQ on Hand Hygiene. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/infection-control/hcp-hand-hygiene-faq.html (Accessed 25th October 2020). [Google scholar]
Sax, H., et al. The World Health Organization hand hygiene observation method. American Journal of Infection Control, 37, 827-834. 10.1016/j.ajic.2009.07.003 [PubMed]
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