Dirty hands can have unpleasant and even deadly consequences. Studies have shown that about one third of people don't even wash their hands after a visit to the bathroom. Men are the worst offenders, but many women fail to wash their hands after they change a baby's diaper, and school children are often just to busy to bother! Infectious diseases are the leading cause of illness and death worldwide. Many germs which cause infections are spread from person to person by touch. Colds, flu, diarrhoea, food poisoning, skin infections, pinworms and chicken pox are some infections that are easily spread by hands. Hands can pass illness-causing germs from one food to another food such as raw meat, eggs or poultry. Infected people can also pass germs to food, causing illness in other people. Some people, known as "carriers'', may not even realise that they harbour a potentially dangerous bacteria such as salmonella, and may contaminate food if they have not taken the simple precaution of always washing their hands before handling food.

It is well known that coughing and sneezing causes colds and flu to spread.

Unwashed hands also help to spread infection from nasal secretions to other people by touch or via dishes, cutlery, hand towels etc. So it is important to use disposable handkerchiefs when you have a cold, and of course to wash hands frequently.

Most adults and children are reluctant to touch an open sore or skin rash on another person. Yet children especially seem to come home from school with impetago, ringworms etc. at regular intervals. Skin infections are usually highly contagious even before the rash is fully developed. Careful hand washing would interrupt the chain of transmission from one person to another.

Babies are more vulnerable to infections than adults. If your baby is being cared for by someone else, it is always wise to check periodically to make sure that the caregiver is a frequent hand washer -- both after changing diapers and before food preparation and feeding the baby. Domestic animals that are clean and well cared for do not often transmit infections to people.

You do not have to wash hand every time you pat your dog or cat -- but do use common sense and always wash before eating. Remember more infections are passed from other humans than from animals.

So -- how do we wash hands effectively? Operating room doctors and nurses have very strict hand washing rules to ensure that no infection is passed to a patient during surgery. Firstly, they always keep finger nails short, clear and neatly clipped. Dirty ragged nails are an ideal breeding grounds for germs. Doctors and nurses are also careful to keep their skin "intact'' -- that is, they avoid getting cuts, scratches or ragged skin around the nails which might harbour germs.

Secondly, they "scrub up''. This means lathering hands and wrists with soap and scrubbing for two minutes with a brush, rinsing under hot running water,and repeating this process two or three times for five minutes. The hands are then dried carefully with a sterile cloth before gloving up.

Everyday washing doesn't have to be as vigorous! Lathering the hands with soap and water for one minute rinsing with hot water and drying with a clean towel will remove most of the germs that cause infections.

Good hand washing habits should be taught in childhood and reinforced throughout the school years.

HAND WASHING IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT MEANS OF PREVENTING THE SPREAD OF INFECTIONS. SO DON'T GET CAUGHT DIRTY HANDED! *** Dr. B. Davidson Senior Medical Officer HEALTH AND SOCIAL ISSUES HTH