The Monitor
http://www.themonitor.com/
September 12, 2005
Rose Ybarra
The Monitor
Clean hands often translates to staying healthy.
On any given school day, children are exposed to millions of germs. Classroom door knobs alone have the hand residues of about 20 students and two or more teachers and these germs can live for a long time.
“Viruses can live six hours on an inanimate object, such as a door knob,” said Martin Garza, M.D., who practices at DLC Pediatrics in Edinburg. “Those viruses are transferred when a student turns a door knob and then later touches the face.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that nearly 22 million school days are lost every year due to the common cold and one of the most ways to catch colds is by rubbing their noses and eyes after touching something or someone that is contaminated.

Hand hygiene is the first line of defense against many illnesses, according to the CDC.
“We’ve always said that hand washing is one of the most important things you can do to keep from getting sick,” said CDC spokesperson Julia Smith-Easley.
Educating the public about hand washing is the mission of the Clean Hands Coalition, a partnership of public and private entities working together to create and support coordinated, sustained initiatives to significantly improve health and save lives through clean hands, according to the organization’s Web site.
The Clean Hands Coalition designated Sept. 18-24 as National Clean Hands Week, during which they are asking the public to make hand washing a higher priority in their lives and the lives of their children.
Though colds are at the top of the list of communicable illnesses, some serious diseases like hepatitis A, meningitis and infectious, diarrhea-causing illnesses, such as the rota virus and shigella can also be prevented by correctly washing the hands.
Experts agree that parents play a huge role in teaching the importance of hand washing to their children but sometimes grown-ups are poor examples.
Washing your hands after using the bathroom, before cooking or eating food and after doing yard work or playing with pets might seem like basic common sense for adults but the statistics prove otherwise.
A study by The American Society of Microbiology found that one-third of people passing through major airports in the United States don’t wash their hands after using the toilet. The CDC also estimates that about one in three people don’t wash their hands after using the restroom.
“Parents have to set a good example,” Smith-Easley said. “They need to help their children make washing their hands a routine part of the day. Reminders are also effective. A simple, ëDon’t forget to wash your hands,’ helps.”
Garza added that parents should teach their children the proper procedure for hand washing and remind them to keep their hands away from the face.
“If you notice in public restrooms, most people wash their hands for about five seconds but we should rub the hands vigorously for 15 seconds and ideally, 30 seconds. It’s also important to dry the hands well.”
Washing the hands with soap and water is best, Garza added, but said that using alcohol-based anti-bacterial gels or wipes are “better than nothing.”
The CDC suggests washing the hands regularly throughout the day, but especially before, during and after preparing food; before eating and after using the bathroom; after handling animals and animal waste; when the hands are dirty and more frequently when you or someone in the home is sick.
Parents and educators looking for more information on promoting a culture of proper hand hygiene can visit www.ItsASnap.org, a Web site promoted by the CDC.
“It’s a Snap encourages students to create their own hand washing campaign in their schools,” Smith-Easley said. “It raises awareness and reminds students, educators and parents about the important role hand washing plays in keeping healthy. The ultimate goal is to help students to have less sick days and be in school learning.”