Want to Prevent Diseases?
Wash Your Hands

by Patricia El Sharei

Handwashing may be your single most important act to help stop the spread of infection and stay healthy. It has been estimated that 80% of all infectious diseases are transmitted by hands, so it only makes sense that washing our hands can help minimize (if not eliminate) the occurrence of harmful diseases in our lives. Why then is it so difficult to get many adults to recognize the importance of washing hands as a means of disease control?

As a certified food safety educator, I consult with many managers and employees in the restaurant and food service industry on a regular basis throughout Riverside County. Although many professionals consider frequent and thorough handwashing as a necessary “tool” of the trade and practice it regularly, I am appalled by the increasing numbers of food industry workers who remain defiant of health regulations, and fail to practice regular and thorough handwashing while on the job – placing customers at risk.

Frequent and thorough handwashing is a simple thing and it's the best way to prevent infection and illness in our homes, schools, offices, restaurants, and other public places.

The basic rule is to wash hands before and after handling/eating food, smoking, after using the bathroom, changing diapers, handling animals, coughing, sneezing, or blowing one’s nose into a tissue.

Put Your Hands Together

For the proper way to wash hands, refer to the Centers for Disease Control Web site at:
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/HandWashing/

Want to Prevent Diseases? Wash Your Hands

Want to Prevent Diseases?
Wash Your Hands