The best strategy to prevent the spread of germs is to wash your hands properly. Numerous studies have demonstrated that appropriate handwashing techniques and the use of soap prevent the spread of disease. According to one study, school children’s gastrointestinal illness-related absences were down by 29–57%.
Hands can become infected with bacteria that cause respiratory, gastrointestinal, or other ailments during routine daily tasks. Hands can become contaminated with germs while performing tasks including using the restroom, changing a baby, handling raw meat, petting animals, or cleaning up after them. One trillion germs can be found in a single gram of human feces (poop), which is roughly the weight of a paper clip. These microorganisms can spread from person to person and sicken humans if they get on hands and aren’t cleaned off. When people handle infected objects, they risk transferring germs to their hands. For instance, touching anything that was sneezed, coughed, or touched by another contaminated item.
Choose Automated Handwashing Instead of Hand Sanitizer
Hand sanitizers should never be used in place of thorough handwashing. When hands are oily or unclean, hand sanitizers are ineffective. Germs and filth are removed from hands and properly washed with soap and water. To remove the dirt and bacteria, you must scrub and rinse. The crucial cleaning, rinsing, and drying stages are usually skipped during the use of hand sanitizers. Even flu viruses have very limited potential to be killed by hand sanitizers, and norovirus, which causes gastrointestinal disease, is also not killed by them. Being a chemical, hand sanitizers can cause a hypersensitive reaction in certain persons.
How effective is automated handwashing at reducing illness?
Numerous types of research have demonstrated that providing students with soap and handwashing instruction helps increase attendance. These studies are referenced on the website of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Community handwashing education:
- decreases the number of patients who acquire diarrheal illness by 23% to 40%.
- reduces diarrheal disease by 58% in those with compromised immune systems.
- reduces the prevalence of respiratory infections like colds by 16–21% in the general population.
- reduces school absences for gastrointestinal illnesses in kids by 29–57%.