How Important is Hand Washing to You?

Hey there,how many times have you washed your hands today? Yes, you…how many?

You probably can’t say right? Well, it’s normal!

Our hands are the most functional part of our body(after the sense organs), so it’s no offense that we forget to wash them from time to time. But do you know what that causes?

Most of the population of the world today don’t wash their hands until it becomes essential to do so in a day. I’ve been in a scenario where someone gave me some cash immediately; he just finished plucking his nose for dirt with his fingers–how shocking!

Many diseases causing germs and bacteria are found in the hands, yet 95% of people fail to wash their hands long enough to kill them properly.

How many people do you know that wash their hands with soap and water when they finish using the toilet?  A survey carried out on the use of public toilets in Nigeria shows that only 2 out of every 20 persons remember to wash their hands; others see it as a waste of time– sad for true!

Research has shown that the number one cause of transmission of many diseases in the world today is through the hand– just a simple hand shake, that’s all!

Why do you think that one of the Covid-19 preventive measures is to ensure that you wash your hands often? It’s because it’s well known that a lot of people do not wash their hands when they sneeze, cough or touch exposed surfaces. A normal Nigerian sees washing the hands after sneezing or coughing into them as “not needed”. Some would even ask you what you’re doing and even criticize you – amazing people we’ve got isn’t it?  Well, I guess the pandemic has helped to change that perspective to a greater extent.

Let’s take our dear country, Nigeria for example. Do you know that only 2% of Nigerians wash their hands when they sneeze or cough into them? Though, it increased significantly when the coronavirus pandemic took the world in awe.

Even though we’re urged to avoid touching our eyes, nose, mouth, it’s practically impossible to take that away from our lifestyle. On the average, 90% of people around the world touch their eyes, nose and mouth 10 times in less than 5minutes!

According to research carried out in London, it is estimated that if everyone washes their hands as a normal routine, a million deaths a year would be prevented. Imagine how many souls would be saved just by proper hand hygiene?

We’ve had numerous cases of food contamination all around the world, but do you know that unwashed hands are at the forefront of this? Hand washing? What a joke! Many people eat their foods today without even washing their hands first. In fact according to the World Health Organization, simple washing of the hands with soap and water could reduce deaths caused by diarrhea by up to 50%.

Just by washing your hands for one minute, you could protect yourself from various diseases and illnesses caused by germs in the hands. No wonder every 5th of May of every year, the World Health Organization  runs an annual campaign to promote hand hygiene with the slogan “safe lives: clean your hands”. Please ensure to always wash your hands as you save millions of lives just by doing that– heroic yeah?

Stay safe and stay healthy!

Do not forget to drop your comments below and also share with your friends and loved ones.