Clean Hands, Healthy Holidays

Your mom was right: “Wash your hands or you’ll get sick.” It turns out that simple advice is backed by science – clean hands are one of the most powerful tools we have to stop germs in their tracks.

National Handwashing Awareness Week, celebrated in December, reminds us that cleaning our hands is a 30-second exercise that can save us or others from hours or days of illness.

Did you know that 80% of communicable diseases spread through touch? Frequent hand washing is important! In fact, studies from the CDC show that handwashing education can make a huge difference to health.

The Benefits of Handwashing

• Cut diarrheal illness by 23%–40%
• Reduce missed school days from stomach bugs by 29%–57%
• Lower diarrheal illness in people with weakened immune systems by 58%
• Reduce respiratory illnesses, like colds, by 16%–21%

That’s a lot of sickness prevented, all from soap, water, and a little time.

How to Practice Good Hand Hygiene

A few simple, hand-health practices go a long way in keeping you and anyone around you more protected from germs.

• Wash your hands when they’re dirty, before eating, while preparing food, and after coughing, sneezing, blowing your nose, or using the bathroom.
• Aim for 30 seconds of scrubbing (sing “Happy Birthday” twice!), but at least 15 seconds is better than nothing.
• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow, not your hands.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.

At Watertown Regional Medical Center, Clean Hands Come First

Our healthcare teams know that hand hygiene is the foundation of safe, effective care. You will always see our team members cleaning their hands and/or donning gloves, and we encourage patients and families to make frequent handwashing part of their daily routine – because prevention is always better than treatment.

The Best Gift You Can Give

December brings cold and flu season, holiday gatherings, and lots of handshakes and hugs. Do yourself and those around you a favor: wash your hands often. You’ll likely prevent illness for yourself or someone you love. And in this season of giving, that’s one of the most meaningful gifts you can share.

Putting a bow on this article, here’s one more effective practice in illness prevention – see your primary care doctor at least once each year. If you don’t have one, find one here.