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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : November 19, 2018 6:15 PM IST
You’re supposed to scrub your hands for a full 20 seconds after you lather up. ©Shutterstock.
A report by the United Nations stated that around 60 per cent of the global population, 4.5 billion people either have no toilet at home or one that is not safe. Since 2013, every year World Toilet Day, celebrated on November 19. According to the Hindustan Times report, the day focuses on taking action to ensure that everyone has a safe toilet by 2030. In fact, the bathroom is one of the places in our home where a lot of germs live and it is the most used rooms.
A leading national public health institute of the United States, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says in a report that to prevent the spreading of infections and illnesses wash our hands properly is a highly effective way. However, when we wash our hands we re usually in a rush so we don t actually get rid of all the bacteria that s lingering on our fingers. According to CDC, you re supposed to scrub your hands for a full 20 seconds after you lather up.
Dr Sanjay Aggarwal, a general physician at Holistic Healthcare Centre in Delhi reportedly said that when it comes to keeping your hands clean it actually doesn t matter what you do in the bathroom. The rationale is that when in a toilet, it s possible to have a faecal material and faecal bacteria get onto your hands. So it s wisest to always wash with soap and water even after urinating. Neither plain water nor alcohol hand sanitisers are effective at removing faecal material or killing bacteria in faecal material.
He added that washing hands after using the toilet can also keep one from coming in contact with E. Coli and hepatitis. Moreover, Dr Aggarwal says this is especially important for men to bear in mind, because of perianal sweat.
Dr Aggarwal reportedly said: This type of sweat forms around the perianal area, which is the patch of skin outside the rectum. It can then spread to one s underwear and to other parts of the body. The point is that simply directing your urine flow can be more than enough to transfer harmful microbes to your hands, and then on to your food.
Hands are the favourite place of infectious microorganisms. We touch so many things throughout the day like light switches, railings, door handles, work surfaces, utensils, etc. Thus, people from any occupation should follow good hygiene practice.
Some cleaning and sanitising tips to remove infectious bacteria:
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