I have noticed that, in general, many people do not pay attention to washing their hands thoroughly after using the bathroom. We need to take hand washing seriously for our own health and others’. This is especially important, if you work in healthcare or preparing food for others.

While traveling abroad, I happened to visit a lab to have blood drawn, I was astonished to see that the technician didn’t wear gloves or wash his hands in between patients. He was also dealing with money and touching other objects. In one instance, he drew blood from a person and blood started gushing. Seemingly unaware of the dangers posed by airborne germs, he withdrew the needle and attempted to stem the blood flow with it. Another lab technician simply used alcohol pads to clean his hands rather than stopping to properly wash them.

Living in America, we know facilities tend to or are required to follow rules and regulations, with the threat of lawsuit or risk of getting shutdown to maintain healthy standards. However, in day-to-day life, — in shopping malls, schools/day care, hospitals and even workplaces – there are people who are unsanitary in their personal hygiene.

Why is it important? Because bacteria and viruses are not visible to our eyes and some of them can cause serious health problems. While some places, such as bathrooms or hospitals, are prone to having more germs, these germs can cause illness and are everywhere. Hand washing helps to reduce our risk of getting sick, it can prevent us from passing germs to others as well.

No matter which part of the world, we live or visit, hygiene standards may or may not be followed properly, but we are the ones who can best protect ourselves and others. We can do this by washing our hands and encourage others to do so. This includes any healthcare professional who should know the importance of protecting patients and themselves from harmful bacteria or germs.

Here are some tips to keep in mind for promoting healthy hygiene:

• Always wash your hands after using the bathroom.
• Keep your bathroom clean.
• Use baking soda to clean your bathroom or kitchen, to avoid breathing in potentially harmful chemicals.
• Always wash hands before cooking and eating.
• Avoid touching your face/nose, after touching any object, especially shoes, trash, or after shaking hands.
• Cover your mouth with your arm and NOT your hand, when sneezing or coughing.
• Always use gloves or wash hands, when dealing with patients, ( for all staff including doctors)
• Request or remind medical staff to wash hands before them examine you or draw blood.
• Avoid using contaminated water for drinking or soaking food like rice, dal etc.

Hopefully we can help each other live and adapt to healthy habits to live healthier life.