(shared article)
With the coronavirus outbreak spreading globally, many of us are concerned with how to defend ourselves against this illness, particularly if we’re travelling. Fortunately, doctors say that one of the best defences against getting sick is much simpler than you think: just wash your hands.
“Next to getting a vaccine, which doesn’t yet exist for the coronavirus, hand washing is the most important way to avoid contracting a respiratory virus like coronavirus or influenza,” Sandra Kesh, MD, deputy medical director and infectious disease specialist at Westmed Medical Group in Purchase, NY. “Good hand hygiene is critical because the main mode of transmission of most germs (including viruses) is hand to mouth, eye, or nose contact. Studies have shown that we touch our faces over 20 times per hour. That’s a lot of exposure.”
So, how should you wash your hands to prevent spreading or contracting coronavirus? The same way you always would: frequently and thoroughly, with soap and water.
How Often Should You Wash Your Hands?
Dare we say, all the time? Ashish Sharma, MD, a board-certified internal medicine physician at Yuma Regional Medical Centre in Arizona, shared a list of scenarios in which you should wash your hands. (But when in doubt, do it!)
- Each time you blow your nose
- Each time you sneeze in your elbow or hand
- Before touching your hand to your face
- Before and after cooking food
- Before and after eating food
- Each time you come within six feet of a sick person
- Before and after administering care to someone who’s sick
- After touching or feeding an animal
- After cleaning or coming in contact with animal waste (cat litter, etc.)
- After touching waste or rubbish
- After changing a baby’s nappy
- After going to the toilet
Some of these should seem intuitive, but it’s a good reminder of just how often — particularly during a cold-and-flu-and-coronavirus season — to be washing those hands of yours.
(Article taken from: popsugar.co.uk )
