Wash your hands!
None of us likes to get sick – so what is one of the easiest things you can do to stay fit and healthy? As usual, your mother is right - keep your hands clean!
Why?
This is a bit icky to think about – but faeces (poop) from people or animals is a big source of germs that can cause all sorts of illnesses. These kinds of germs can get onto your hands after you have used the bathroom or helped change a baby’s diaper.
Raw meats might have invisible amounts of animal dung on them. A single gram of human faeces - which is so small that it is about the same weight as a paper clip - can contain one trillion germs. That’s a huge number of germs.
Germs can also get onto your hands if you touch any object that has germs on it. An object might have germs on it, because someone with a cold or flu has coughed or sneezed on it, or it could have been touched by some other contaminated object. When these germs get onto hands and are not washed off, they can be passed from person to person and end up making people sick. The very best way to get rid of them is by often washing your hands with soap and water.
How to wash your hands:
First, wet your hands with clean running water.
Put the soap on your hands and rub them together – don’t forget to get the soap onto the back of your hands, under your nails and in between your fingers. If you have a nail brush – use it to clean under your nails.
You need to keep rubbing for at least 20 seconds – a fun way to time this is by singing the “Happy Birthday” song twice, or you could just hum it in your head.
Rinse well with clean running water.
If there is no clean towel to dry your hands, let them air dry.
When should you wash your hands?
- Before eating meals or snacks.
- In the kitchen, when you are helping prepare food (wash before, during and after).
- When you are finished using the bathroom.
- After touching a pet.
- After handling animal food or treats for pets.
- After coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose.
- After touching garbage.
- Before and after you visit a person who is sick.
- After helping change a baby’s diaper.
- What to do if there is no clean running water or soap?
Soap and water really are best – but sometimes they are not available.
You can use a hand sanitizer - it is not as good as soap and water, as it cannot get rid of all the germs. Use the sanitizer under the supervision of an adult.
How to use hand sanitizer:
Squeeze some sanitizer onto your hands.
Rub well until your hands are dry, making sure to get into all the nooks and crannies.
Remember – your hands don’t have to look dirty to have yucky germs on them!
