Each year on Oct. 15, communities around the world recognize Global Handwashing Day. This initiative highlights one of the simplest yet most effective ways we can protect our health and the health of those around us: washing our hands with soap and water.
With flu season underway and viruses circulating, washing our hands (along with getting the flu vaccine) is one of the best ways to stay healthy.
Handwashing may seem like an obvious, everyday practice, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that handwashing education can make a real difference by:
The five steps to clean hands
When soap and water aren’t available
While the focus of Global Handwashing Day is washing with soap and water, alcohol-based hand sanitizers with at least 60 percent alcohol are a good option when your hands aren’t visibly dirty, such as after touching grocery carts, gas pumps, doorknobs or elevator buttons. To use hand sanitizer effectively:
Protecting your family and community
Share this information with your family, especially any children, so they can do their part in keeping themselves, their friends and the family safe and healthy. Remember, too, if you are sick, you should stay home so as not to spread germs to others.
Together, small steps like handwashing, using sanitizer when needed and staying home when sick go a long way toward keeping our community safe and healthy.
If you need medical attention, Lee Health is here to help, providing you with the care you need and in ways that are most convenient for you, including in-person and virtual care options. Visit LeeHealth.org/get-care to find the right place to get the care you need.
Larry Antonucci, M.D., MBA is the president & CEO of Lee Health, Southwest Florida’s major destination for health care offering acute care, emergency care, rehabilitation and diagnostic services, health and wellness education, and community outreach and advocacy programs. Visit LeeHealth.org to learn more.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Lee Health: Clean hands, healthy community
Reporting by Larry Antonucci / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
