The cheapest and most effective way to prevent the spread of infectious disease is by washing hands. Yet it is estimated that one of every three people does not wash up hands after using the washroom.
Prevention is better than cure, you will all agree, and the great elements of prevention are, knowledge of self, cleanliness, physical, mental and moral; hygiene and sanitation. I contend that physiology is the most important subject that can engage the attention of the individual. Nothing is so essential as a knowledge of the functioning of the body in which he dwells, for it is the vehicle through which the real self is to find expression; through which he is to achieve success or failure, according to the condition of its mechanism. ~ Charles A. Tyrrell, M.D.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO AVOID INFECTIOUS DISEASES:
- Washing your hands thoroughly and often may reduce your chance of getting sick.
- Use soap and warm running water and rub your hands together for 15 seconds.
- Wash the front and the back of your hands as well as between your fingers and under your nails.
- Keep an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (gel or wipes) handy at work, home, and in your car.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you sneeze or cough.
- Put used tissues in the wastebasket immediately.
- If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve - not into your hands.
- Try not to touch your eyes, nose or mouth this is a common way to spread germs.
IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO WASH UP:
- Before, during, and after preparing food.
- Before and after eating.
- After handling animals or animal waste.
- When someone at your work or home is sick.
THE WORST CONTAMINATED SURFACES ARE:
WORK:
- Phones
- Keyboards
- Elevator buttons
- Laptops and desktops
- Doorknobs and handles
HOME:
- Kitchen sink
- Dishcloths
- Towels
- Fridge
- Bathroom doorknobs
- Garbage cans
OUTDOORS:
- Playground equipment
- Escalator handrails
- Shopping cart handles
- Picnic tables
- Portable toilets
