Washing hands can save your life

Abstract

Millions of germs – bacteria and viruses – lurk everywhere. These germs can be found in the bathroom, in the kitchen, in the garden, on our pets, even at work and at school. Germs can cause many different illnesses, such as colds and flu, eye and mouth infections and diarrhoea or even cholera and typhoid. Germs are transmitted in several different ways, especially by touching dirty hands or changing dirty nappies. Other ways include through contaminated water and food, through droplets when someone coughs or sneezes, through contaminated surfaces and through a sick person’s bodily fluids. If people pick up germs from one of these sources, they can unknowingly become infected simply by touching their eyes, nose or mouth. The simple act of washing hands with soap and water is one of the best ways to keep ourselves and our families healthy. Research has shown that hand washing can significantly reduce the two leading causes of child deaths in the world – diarrhoeal disease and acute respitary infection (such as pneumonia).

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