Why is Handwashing so Important?

Remember how your parents remind you to always wash your hands when you were little? They were right to do so!

Here’s an interesting fact: 1 square inch on our hands can be home to approximately 1,500 bacteria! While some are beneficial ones, others can make us very sick.

Viruses and bacteria are both microscopic, and this means that they are not visible to the naked eye. There are germs that co-exist peacefully with us, however, the majority are harmful foreign bodies that we get from handling everyday items such as door handles, mobile phones, or shopping carts.

The best – and the simplest – way to prevent bacteria and virus related sickness is to wash your hands.

Here are a few facts from Physicians Premier, your Corpus Christi, TX emergency room, about how having clean hands can help prevent you from getting sick:

• Studies show that regular handwashing can help prevent at least 1 million deaths per year.
• Regular handwashing can also reduce diarrhea-related deaths by at least 50 percent.
• Dirty, contaminated hands remain to be one of the leading causes of disease outbreaks.
• Proper handwashing can reduce the risk of respiratory infections.

Without even realizing it, we are always using our hands. If we touch our mouth, eyes, or nose with contaminated hands, germs will quickly enter our body.

The most common form of sanitizing hands is by the use of water and soap. Alcohol-based sanitizers can also help reduce infection. Proper handwashing has a multitude of benefits, which include:

• Reduces the spread of respiratory diseases.
• Reduces the number of diarrhea cases.
• Reduces school absenteeism due to gastrointestinal illness.

Wash your hands the right way

• Wet your hands
• Lather your hands with loads of soap. Be sure to pay close attention to the areas in between your fingers, at the back of your hands, and under your nails.
• Rub your hands for at least twenty seconds.
• Rinse thoroughly with water.
• Dry your hands with a clean towel or tissue.

Physicians Premier, your Emergency Room in Corpus Christi, TX, is committed to safeguarding the health of the communities we serve. Helping you and your family stay healthy and safe is our priority. However, when prevention fails, rest assured that we are here 24/7 to help you get healthy once again!