Since every disease known to man has a week or month dedicated to it, why not dedicate a week to what prevents most diseases?
We are celebrating the hand washing week this week.
The Florida Department of Health and the Henry the Hand Foundation celebrate National Hand Washing Awareness Week, December 2-8, 2007.
The first National Hand Washing Awareness Week started in 1999 in Cincinnati, Ohio due to the flu vaccine shortage. In collaboration with the Henry the Hand Foundation, the Greater Cincinnati Health Council Flu Vaccine Committee began educating the public on hand washing as the first line of defense against the flu or flu-like illness.
Hand washing is the single most important means in preventing the spread of infection, according to the CDC.
The CDC estimates that 36,000 people die from the flu or flu-like illness each year, 5,000 people die from food borne illness each year, and between 78,000 and 90,000 patients die each year from Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI), for which a direct link to many of these deaths is poor hand washing.
To keep hands clean, DOH recommends hand washing:
- Before preparing or eating food
- Before and after tending to someone who is sick
- Before and after treating a cut or wound
- After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing
- After handling an animal or animal waste
- After handling garbage
- After going to the bathroom
- After changing diapers or cleaning up after a child who has gone to the bathroom
DOH promotes, protects and improves the health of all people in Florida. For more information, please visit www.doh.state.fl.us or contact a local county health department. To learn more about National Hand Washing Week, click here.