My family visited a local aquarium. It was filled to the brim with small children touching absolutely everything in sight, from the large glass tank windows to the slippery skin of bat eels.
When we sat down for lunch, I complained about leaving my hand-sanitizer in another purse. That prompted my nine-year-old son to describe a recent experiment they did in his class using black lights.
He and his classmates were asked to dirty their hands, and then wash them. The first washing was with hand-sanitizer and the second was with soap. After each wash they looked at the results under a black light, and – according to my son – the black light showed that warm water and soap were far better at cleaning their hands.
We all immediately got up, went to the bathroom, and washed our hands.
The Centers for Disease Control says hand washing is one of the most important steps we can take to help prevent the spread of germs that can lead to the flu. But, it’s just about the flu:
“Many diseases and conditions are spread by not washing hands with soap and clean, running water.”
According to Los Angeles Times, this will be a particularly bad year for the he flu. So, it’s no coincidence the beginning of flu season is also National Hand Washing Week.
Most of us were probably taught to wash our hands as small children so it may have been a while since you last gave it any real thought.
Here is a reminder of when to wash your hands from the CDC:
• Before, during, and after preparing food
• Before eating food
• Before and after caring for someone who is sick
• Before and after treating a cut or wound
• After using the toilet
• After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After touching an animal or animal waste
• After handling pet food or pet treats
• After touching garbage
And while hand washing is crucial to helping prevent the flu, it’s only part of the solution. The CDC urges everyone over the age of 6 months to get the Flu vaccine every year.
You can get a flu vaccine from your physician or your local pharmacist but if you have trouble locating a place to get the flu vaccine use this handy Flu Vaccine Locator Tool:
For more information on how to stay healthy this flu click here.
Image via Flickr user theseanster93.
