The Chester County Health Department invites county residents to keep their hands free of germs as part of National Handwashing Awareness Week, from Dec. 6 through Dec.12.
“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hand washing is the single most important thing that can prevent the spread of sickness,” Jeanne Casner, director of the Chester County Health Department, said in a press release. “Clean hands protect family members, classmates, co-workers and community members from illness.”
As a reminder for the winter season, it is important to wash your hands often throughout the day. It is even more important before handling or eating food or putting in or taking out contact lenses; after changing diapers, using the bathroom, or touching animals; or when someone in your house is sick.
The Chester County Health Department recommends the following procedure when washing your hands: First, wet your hands with clean running water, preferably warm, and apply soap. Then rub your hands together to create foam and scrub all surfaces for at least 20 seconds – or the length of a little tune, such as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” It is the soap combined with the scrubbing action that helps remove germs, the release said.
If clean water and soap are not available, the Health Department recommends using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to clean your hands. When using a hand sanitizer, apply to the palm of one hand and rub hands together to cover all surfaces until fingers and hands are dry. Also avoid putting unwashed hands into eyes, nose, or mouth, as direct contact with a mucus membrane enables bacteria or viruses such as strep, the common cold, and pink eye to enter your body.
The Chester County Health Department also encourages the practice of coughing and sneezing into elbows instead of covering your mouths with your hand, as it is one of the easiest ways to avoid spreading germs to others.
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