An ounce of Prevention...

Have you ever heard the old expression... "An ounce of prevention = A pound of cure" ?

Well...fifteen seconds of hand washing can prevent the spread of germs!

We have disregarded an old habit that our mother's and grandmother's used to preach... "Wash your hands"! Why did this old habit die? With the discovery of antibiotics, the attitude changed because when a person became ill, he/she went to the doctor... The doctor then prescribed penicillin and "TADA"! The person was healthy again! We began to believe that prevention was no longer necessary. The truth is that although antibiotics do help bacterial infections, they do not cure viral infections! (such as colds and flu). It is up to us to prevent these infections from spreading!

There are four conditions necessary in order for someone to contract any type of infection, whether it is viral or bacterial.

  1. There must be a germ that causes infection.
  2. There must be a vehicle to carry the germ.
  3. There must be a pathway to get into the body. (eyes, nose, mouth)
  4. There must be either an overwhelming number of germs, or the body's natural defenses must be in a weakened state.

HAND WASHING rids the body of the germs resting on the skin, thereby preventing the spread of disease and infection. The proper technique is listed below. Why not take some time at home to reinforce this healthy habit?

  • Use soap and WARM running water.
  • Rub your hands vigorously for at AT LEAST 10 seconds (about as long as it takes to sing the Happy Birthday song or the ABC's...in your head).
  • Wash all surfaces of your hands including the back, wrists, between fingers and underneath the nails.
  • Rinse your hands well.
  • Dry hands with a paper towel. (use the paper towel to turn off the water so you don't re-contaminate your clean hands!)