(Opinion) Preventing diseases through hand washing

BILKIS BAKARE

In many societies of the world, it is a common practice to engage in hand washing, particularly before eating and after visiting the toilet; but it was never a custom to do same with soap. And it has been found out that dirty hands remain one of the commonest ways of transmitting life threatening infections particularly in children, either directly or indirectly. This is due to the fact that one of the first innate habits learnt by a child is putting of hands in the mouth.

Therefore, if the hands are dirty, the likelihood of contracting diseases like respiratory infections, diarrheal diseases and others is rife. Bacteria and viruses spread easily and quickly through touch. If someone with the flu were to cover their mouth when sneezing and simply wipe their hands afterwards, rather than washing them, germs would still be present. These germs would then likely spread to any surfaces they touch and would then, in turn, likely transmit to anyone who was to touch that surface

It is in the realization of the aforementioned and the effort to reduce childhood mortality rate resulting from respiratory infections and diarrhoeal diseases that the campaign for simple behavioural changes, such as hand washing with soap and water was initiated. Hand washing with soap is a do- it – yourself vaccine that prevents infections and save lives. The first global hand washing day took place on 15th October, 2008 to foster and support a general culture of hand washing with soap in all societies, shine a spotlight on the state of hand washing in each country and raise awareness about the benefits of the act.

As our civilization slowly evolved from Stone Age into modern times, advancements in technology, chemistry and medicine enabled the rise of soap – multipurpose cleaning tool of skin, clothes and the area that we live in. With its beneficiary medical use, ability to clean our clothes and disinfect our surroundings from harmful bacteria and dirt, soaps remain one of the most useful and fundamental hygiene tool that mankind ever created.

Created from the countless variation of ingredients, all soaps have two main components – animal oils or fats and alkaline solution that enables the process of saponification. During the last few thousand years, process of soap creation received numerous upgrades and tweaks, mostly by adding natural additives of color and smell, but in modern times also many new industrial substances that increase soap’s performance in cleaning and lubrication. Also, advancements in technology and science enabled soaps to become more useful in cleaning and received many more medicinal uses as time went by.

Statistical data have shown that millions of children under the age of five years die from diarrhoeal diseases and pneumonia, considered as the two top killers of young children around the world. Diarrhoea and pneumonia together account for almost 3.5 million child death annually. And it has been proven that hand washing with soap could prevent about 1 out of every 3 episodes of diarrheal illnesses and almost 1 out of 6 episodes of respiratory infections like pneumonia. Furthermore, this simple, inexpensive, accessible action can, according to research, reduce the rate of mortality from these diseases by almost 25 and 50 percent, respectively and can dramatically cut the number of young children who get sick.

Last year, when Nigeria was grappling with the Ebola scourge, frequent hand washing by citizens, both young and old, at home, school and business premises, became the in- thing. This was due to the fact that the act of hand washing remains one of the best ways to prevent contacting the Virus. The same also goes for Avian Influenza, popularly known as Bird Flu. Hand washing with soap may seem like a simple behavior, but it is rarely practised globally. This is due both in part to lack of resources as well as it not being a habit. Therefore, it is important to turn hand washing into a habit. Turning hand washing with soap before eating and after using the toilet into an ingrained habit will save more lives than any single vaccine or medical intervention, cutting deaths from diarrhoea by almost half and deaths from acute respiratory infections by one-quarter.

The World Health Organisation, WHO, suggests two methods to ensure good hand hygiene. These are ‘Hand Rubbing’ and ‘Hand Washing’. Hand rubbing method should be used if you do not have any visible bodily or other infectious fluids or matter on your hands and does not include the use of water. For this, hand sanitizers are recommended. On the other hand, hand washing method should be used if you have visible bodily or other infectious fluids or matter on your hands. Using either one of these techniques at the appropriate time will ensure you are doing your part to keep your hands clean and free of germs. And at the same time playing your part in ensuring a disease- free society.

Building on a hugely successful inaugural Global Handwashing Day in 2008 – in which over 120 million children around the world washed their hands with soap in more than 70 countries, this year millions of children across five continents celebrated Global Hand washing Day again, imbibing the message of health being in our hands . now that this year’s global Hand washing Day has come and gone, more efforts should be made to mobilize children, teachers, parents, celebrities, and government officials should plan to encourage millions to lather up in order to reduce life-threatening diseases, such as diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections.

Therefore, beyond the euphoria of the global Hand Washing Day, it is important that more schools are involved in the campaign in order to help raise awareness of the importance of washing with soap, show the desirability of performing the act also make it fun for children to get involved. It should be noted that peer influence is significant to seeing increased hand washing among students as they are more likely to wash their hands when another student is present. Henceforth, the major targets for Global Hand washing Day should be children and schools.

Children always act as agents of change, taking the good practices of hygiene learned at school back into their homes and communities. The active participation and involvement of children, along with culturally sensitive community-based interventions, is aimed at ensuring sustained behavioural change. Hence, it is important for all health stakeholders to give more considerations to children while planning their health outreaches. This is a major way forward towards ensuring and enhancing a virile health culture.

Bakare writes from Alausa, Ikeja.