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What is the cheapest, easiest, single best way to prevent the spread of bad germs? Wash your hands.

Hand washing is the first line of defense against the spread of infectious diseases for adults as well as for children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Germs, such as viruses, bacteria and parasites cause infectious diseases. Some infectious diseases are highly contagious or communicable, which means they can be spread very easily from person to person in a variety of ways. They can be spread by coughing, sneezing and a runny nose or through direct contact with the skin or body fluid of someone who is infected. They can also be transmitted by blood or by fecal-oral contact, such as occurs with the deadly E.coli 0157 bacteria when people eat food or drink water contaminated with undetectable amounts of human or animal feces.

Infants and toddlers are particularly susceptible to contagious diseases. Because they haven't yet been exposed to many of the most common germs, they haven't built up resistance or immunity to them. Also, some of their habits promote the spread of germs, such as sticking their dirty fingers or objects like toys and shared lollipops in their mouths.

To appreciate how easily dirty hands can transmit germs, consider this scenario with your child and the common cold. It doesn't take getting sneezed or coughed on directly for your child to pick up cold germs. He or she can become infected from playing with a toy, by touching the bathroom doorknob at preschool or by hanging onto the bar of a grocery cart. It works like this: These objects are handled by an infected person, followed by your child, who then rubs eyes or nose with dirty hands or touches his or her mouth.

Parents and childcare providers can stop the spread of germs by washing their hands and by teaching children good hand-washing hygiene. Effective washing takes a bit more than just passing hands over a bar of soap and holding them under water. Rubbing hands together under warm running water is the most important part of washing away infectious germs.

Also, water basins and pre-moistened wipes shouldn't be used as a substitute for washing hands with soap and running water. Germs can be passed between individuals if they share wash-water or a washbasin. If running water is unavailable, such as during an outing, wipes may be used as a temporary measure until hands can be washed under running water. If a washbasin must be used, clean and disinfect the basin between each use.

Although talking with your doctor or health care provider is always a good idea, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has guidelines for how and when hands should be washed. Here they are.

• Always use warm, running water and a mild, preferably liquid, soap. Antibacterial soaps may be used but are not required. Talk to your doctor if you are inclined to try them.
• Wet hands and apply a small amount (dime to quarter size) of liquid soap to hands. Rub hands together vigorously until a soapy lather appears and continue for at least 15 seconds. Be sure to scrub between fingers, under fingernails and around the tops and palms of the hands.
• Rinse hands under warm running water. Leave the water running while drying hands.
• Dry hands with a clean, disposable (or single use) towel. Turn the faucet off using the towel as a barrier between your hands and the faucet handle. Remember, dirty hands turned the faucet on.
• Adults should wash hands before eating or handling food; before feeding a child; after using the toilet; after diapering or helping a child use a toilet; after work or outdoor activities; after handling pets; or wiping a child's nose or mouth.
• Children should be taught to wash their hands immediately before and after eating, after using the toilet, after playing with pets or pet objects, after playing on the playground or whenever their hands are visibly dirty.
• For those noncompliant little ones, make hand-washing a daily activity. Teach them hand-washing games and songs to help keep the germs away.

External Resources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

This article was published on 1999-10-15
This article was reviewed on 2003-02-03