Global Hand Washing Day is a day declared to encourage and create awareness for the importance of washing of the hands in the globe and it is usually celebrated on the 15th of October.
This year’s Global Hand-washing Day, is themed “Hand Hygiene for All”. The three major aim of this day are to: Foster and support a general culture of handwashing with soap in all societies; Shine a spotlight on the state of handwashing in each country; and to Raise awareness about the benefits of handwashing with soap.
The following therefore are the benefits of you washing your hands:
1. Prevention of Diarrhoea and Uncomfortable Intestinal Diseases: Regular washing of the hands will help remove faecal matter and bateria that causes diarrhoea and intestinal diseases, even when we have contacted them from other people or objects without knowing. Studies have shown that hand washing can reduce and help in preventing 30% of diarrhoea – related sickness.
2. Prevention of Common Eye Infection: Eye Infections are commonly caused by the bacteria that gets into the eyes from our hands. The common eye infection that occur as a result of direct contact with different germs are: Conjunctivitis, Keratitis, Stye, Blepharitis. These infections can be avoided when we regularly wash our hands.
3. Obstruction of Respiratory Tract Infections: Experts says that 80% of infectious respiratory diseases like colds and flu are due to dirty hands and all sorts of microorganisms harbouring on the finger nails. These germs can be removed from our hands by proper hand washing.
4. Reduction of the Bacteria Content on Your Hands: Research have shown that bacteria can linger on the hands and other objects for long, and if the hands are not properly washed they can remain on the hands for days.
5. Washing of Hands Prevents The Spread of Infection to Others: Germs from unwashed hands can be transferred to other objects like: table tops, handrails, books, phone, etc, and these germs can also be transferred to other people during shaking and touching. Washing of the hands prevents you from transferring germs to others.
