Indians love to eat using their hands. While doing so, many tend to forget
to wash their hands before indulging in their food. Eating without maintaining
hand hygiene can take its toll on health. Germs, including bacteria, usually
harbor on the surface of the palm and hands. They can get inside the body,
leading to health complications.
The concept of hand hygiene, though popular, became more prominent
post-COVID-19 era. The fear of contracting the virus was vital in hand hygiene.
A lot of hand hygiene awareness also helped humankind keep diseases at bay.
With passing days and people
The ritual of hand washing and following hygiene should be followed daily.
The essentiality of it has fizzled out on how it was observed during the
COVID-19 days.
Causes and diseases
There are various ways to keep hands clean. The most common way to clean is
to wash your hands with soap and water. Washing hands helps to prevent stomach
infections such as diarrhea and dysentery. Also, the spread of eye diseases
like conjunctivitis, respiratory infections, etc, can stopped.
Steps to hand washing
Many steps are recommended to maintain hand hygiene. Using lukewarm water
and soap can be a good option. Rubbing hands palm to palm and between the
fingers with soap and water is recommended. Medical practitioners recommend
washing hands for around 20 seconds. A quick hand wash will have no results and
will only waste water and soap. The more lather formation, the better the hand
hygiene.
Faecal-oral diseases
Open defecation is a significant concern. Instead of soap, many people use
water to clean their hands. This makes them susceptible to various diseases,
including fecal-oral diseases. The reluctance to buy liquid or any other soap
to keep hands clean has a cascading effect on health.
Usage of hand sanitisers
Hand sanitizers became popular during and after the post-COVID-19 pandemic.
The medical fraternity advised using alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Rubbing the
palms with a few drops of hand sanitizer before having food is a good option.
Too much usage leads to dry and cracked skin, and it poses a risk if ingested
or comes in contact with the eyes.
Awareness
Various awareness levels have helped to a more
significant extent with hand hygiene. Schools teach students to follow basic
hand hygiene. Street foods are a menace in India. Indulging in street foods
without washing hands is a double whammy for one’s health. It is an open
invitation for various diseases to harbor inside the body. It leads to food poisoning
and viral and bacterial infections affecting the stomach. It is high time that
hand hygiene measures were put in place, along with higher awareness levels.
