HAND HYGIENE


Practicing Hand Hygiene is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick. 

How Germs Spread

Washing hands can keep you healthy and prevent the spread of respiratory and diarrheal infections from one person to the next. Germs can spread from other people or surfaces when you:

•    Touch your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands

•    Prepare or eat food and drinks with unwashed hands

•    Touch a contaminated surface or objects

•    Blow your nose, cough, or sneeze into hands and then touch other people’s hands or common objects


Key Times To Wash Hands

You can help yourself and your loved ones stay healthy by washing your hands often, especially during these key times when you are likely to get and spread germs:

•    Before, during, and after preparing food

•    Before eating food

•    Before and after caring for someone at home who is sick with vomiting or diarrhoea

•    Before and after treating a cut or wound

•    After using the toilet

•    After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet

•    After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing

•    After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste

•    After handling pet food or pet treats

•    After touching garbage


Follow Five Steps To Wash Your Hands The Right Way

a.    Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.

b.    Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.

c.    Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.

d.    Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.

e.    Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.


Use Hand Sanitizer When You Can’t Use Soap And Water

•    Sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on hands in many situations. However,

•    Sanitizers do not get rid of all types of germs.

•    Hand sanitizers may not be as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy.

•    Hand sanitizers might not remove harmful chemicals from hands like pesticides and heavy metals.

How To Use Hand Sanitizer

•    Apply the gel product to the palm of one hand (read the label to learn the correct amount).

•    Rub your hands together.

•    Rub the gel over all the surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry. 

•    This should take around 20 seconds.

MASK MANAGEMENT

Use A Mask Correctly

•    Unfold pleats, facing down, place over nose, mouth and chin.

•    Fit nose piece over nose-bridge. 

•    Tie strings upper string tied - top of head above ears lower string at the back of the neck. 

•    Leave no gaps on either side of the mask, adjust to fit. 

•    Do not pull the mask down or hang from the neck avoid touching the mask while in use

•    Replace masks with a new clean, dry mask as soon as they become damp/humid, 6 -8 hours

Removing Mask

•    Removing and disposing the mask

•    Do not touch other surfaces of the mask while removing. 

•    To remove the mask first untie the string below and then the string above 

•    Handle the mask using the upper strings. 

•    Other surfaces may be potentially contaminated 

•    Remove the mask by using appropriate technique  (i.e. Do not touch the front but remove the lace from behind) 

Disposing A Mask

•    Disposable masks should never be reused!

•    After removal or whenever you inadvertently touch a used mask, clean hands by using a 70% alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water for 40 secs.

•     Discard single-use masks after each use and dispose of them immediately upon removal

•    Masks used by patients, caregivers or close contacts during home care should be considered as potentially infected and be disinfected using an ordinary 5% bleach solution or 1% Sodium Hypochlorite    Solution after wearing clean gloves to protect your hands from the chemical. 

•Once disinfected, the mask should be disposed off into the waste plastic bag placed inside the closed bin.

•Make sure the plastic bag is tightly sealed before handing it  over to the municipal worker as sanitary waste.

Asymptomatic individuals : Although without any symptoms, they are equally capable of transmitting the virus to their family members and caregivers. Hence along with wearing a mask it is also important to follow other essential infection control practices like-

  • Washing hands frequently with soap and water for 40 seconds or 70% alcohol hand sanitizer for 20 secs

  • Covering your nose and mouth with a handkerchief or paper tissue paper while coughing or sneezing. If these are unavailable, then use your sleeve of flexed elbow. 

  • Disposing off tissue immediately after use and washing hands. 

  • Refraining from touching face, mouth, nose and eyes.

  • Staying at least a metre away from those coughing or sneezing.

  • Monitoring your body temperature.

Symptomatic individuals : It is necessary for a person with cough and fever to wear a triple layer mask to prevent your infection from spreading to others.

  • Close family contacts living in the same household and undergoing home quarantine with you should also use Triple layer medical masks. 

  • The mask should be changed every 6-8 hours or immediately if it gets wet in between.

  • Make sure there is a closed trash bin in your room with a plastic waste bag placed in it to dispose mask