12 November 2012

Initial promotes Healthy Hand Hygiene on Global Handwashing Day

Submitted by: Nicole Maritz

A staggering sixty percent of South Africans neglect to wash their hands with soap and water after using the bathroom, says recent research conducted by Life Health Care SA. Hand hygiene is imperative to ensure the health of today's society. Although we have excellent health care measures in place, we must play our part in ultimately preventing the transmission of pathogens that can cause infection and illness.

Global Handwashing Day started as an initiative to encourage school children to wash their hands frequently as a primary way to prevent the spread of disease, as soap acts as a vaccine to stop the spread of harmful bacteria. Today, Global Handwashing Day is a worldwide celebration, where over a hundred countries participate in promoting hand washing practices.

Bev Wentzel, Rentokil Initial's Service Support Manager, states that hands are the one single part of the anatomy that can cause the most infection, and advises to apply soap generously to hands before and / or during hand washing.

It has been speculated that the use of anti-bacterial soap eliminates the 'good bacteria' found on one's skin. "Although that's true, one does regularly come in to contact with office equipment and one touches a variety of surfaces which may contain pathogens. Anti bacterial soap is helpful to stop passing on infection", Wentzel articulates.

"While there is no specific time one can allocate to washing hands, it is recommended to wash one's hands for about twenty seconds", says Wentzel. "When you wash your hands, you need to make sure you remember to scrub under your nails, your rings and the top and sides of your hands. To give you an indication of timing, you need to sing happy birthday to yourself twice to ensure your hands are washed properly".

Wentzel further states that not washing one's hands is a ticking time bomb and recommends that people wash hands after making use of bathroom facilities, before ingesting meals or refreshments, or touching kitchen utensils to ensure that optimal hand hygiene is maintained, and that the chances of spreading disease is significantly reduced.

By sticking to the basics and ensuring hands are frequently washed, not only are top hand hygiene levels maintained, but the transmission of bacteria that can lead to harmful diseases is significantly reduced. For more information and a radio clip on Bev Wentzel's interview on Kaya FM, please visit: http://linkd.in/TsQPn6 

Published in Health and Medicine

The Rentokil Initial group specialise in pest control, hygiene services and interior landscaping for businesses across the globe. Using leading-edge, environmentally-friendly technology, their experts deliver a wide range of tailored services to businesses of all kinds. Rentokil Initial South Africa has operations in all major business centres across the country.