Help Prevent the Flu - Participate in National Handwashing Awareness Week
December 3-9 is National Handwashing Awareness Week, an event promoted by the Henry the Hand Foundation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), handwashing is the single most important means to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, such as the flu, which the CDC estimates kills 36,000 people each year, as well as other infections such as foodborne illnesses.
CDC estimates that nearly 22 million school days are lost annually due to the common cold alone and 52.2 million cases of the common cold affect Americans under age 17 each year. Moreover, in 1999 the U.S. Department of Education gathered that 1/5 of the U.S. population attends or works in schools. Therefore, addressing the spread of germs in schools is essential to the health of youth, schools and the nation.
Nevertheless, a new survey conducted by NSF International has revealed that elementary school kids are more likely to do homework than use hand soap when washing their hands, even though nearly all teachers talk to their students about handwashing. Doing homework is indeed a victory, but it is also very important for kids to not be sick or absent from school. And proper handwashing is an effective, yet easy way of preventing kids from getting infectious diseases.
National Handwashing Awareness Week presents a great opportunity for schools to reflect and act on the importance of having hands clean. The National Handwashing Awareness Week is based on four principles of hand awareness: 1) Wash your hands when they are dirty and before eating; 2) Do not cough into your hands; 3) Do not sneeze into your hands; and 4) Do not put your fingers in your eyes, nose or mouth.
According to the CDC, hands should be rubbed vigorously and all surfaces should be scrubbed for 20 seconds as if one were singing “Happy Birthday” all the way through twice. Hands should be rinsed well under water and dried using a paper towel or air dryer. If possible, the paper towel should be used to turn off the faucet. The CDC also states that, if soap and water are not available, an alcohol-based wipe or hand gel can be used.
National Handwashing Awareness Week presents a great opportunity for schools to reflect and act on the importance of having hands clean. To learn more about the National Handwashing Awareness Week, please visit www.henrythehand.com.
To obtain information on how schools can promote proper handwashing, go to http://www.itsasnap.org. To learn more about protecting children from the flu, please visit www.cdc.gov/flu/school. And to access the survey mentioned above, please visit http://www.nsf.org/business/newsroom/press_release.asp?p_id=14727.
Source: Henry the Hand Foundation website; “Inconsistent Hygiene Habits Widespread in American Schools,” NSF International Press Release, November 29, 2006; It’s a Snap website; and CDC Influenza website (Stop the Spread of Germs: Actions for Schools).