Hand hygiene to manage childhood infections: Doctor shares tips to follow

In the post-COVID era, hand hygiene has taken on greater importance in our daily lives. The pandemic served as a stark reminder of how crucial proper handwashing is in preventing the spread of infectious diseases. While adults have become more mindful of this habit, it’s equally essential to instill the importance of hand hygiene in children from an early age—helping them build lifelong habits that protect both their health and the health of those around them. Also read | Hand hygiene dos and don'ts: 8 expert tips to clean and hygienic hands

In an interview with HT lifestyle, Dr Atique Ahemad, consultant paediatrician and neonatologist, Saifee Hospital, Mumbai said, “The main cause of diarrheal and respiratory diseases globally among children is improper and insufficient hand washing practices making it not only the leading cause of infectious disease burden globally but also being responsible for half of all child deaths per year.”

The doctor pointed out the significance of hand hygiene in reducing the risk of diarrhoea and upper respiratory tract infections. “Hand washing has been shown to reduce diarrhea morbidity and life-threatening diarrhea by 42% to 48% and the prevalence of upper respiratory infections by 24%. Young children less than 5 years of age are most at risk, particularly those attending childcare or preschool,” he said. Also read | Handwashing: How, when, how long to do it to keep infections like Covid at bay

The 5-step hand wash routine to follow:

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

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

3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds.

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

5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or an air dryer.

Increasing awareness about hand hygiene:

• Educate the child about diseases: Introduce health promotion that will educate and remind the children that diseases are not always visible and that whether or not one appears dirty, transmission is still possible.
• Start early: Good hand hygiene habits should be taught early in a child’s life to sustain effective hand hygiene behaviour.
• Be a role model: The importance of role modelling as a way to develop good hand hygiene habit in young children. In addition, health care provider shoul encourage parents and young children to practice hand hygiene. This can reinforce the message of the importance of hand hygiene compliance and result in healthy hand hygiene practice in young children. Also read | Filthy behaviour is gendered? Study reveals who among men and women is not washing hands enough

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.