Regular-hand washing is the cornerstone of good sanitation and hygiene. There is no direct scientific evidence that hand-washing can fend off the H1N1 virus, but it can certainly help prevent it. One of the main reasons why the H1N1 virus outbreak was averted was because more people than before regularly washed thier hands.
A study done by the American Society for Microbiology and the American Cleaning Institute proved that over 85 percent of people washed their hands in public restrooms in 2008-2009. When the H1N1 virus broke out, there was a large afvertising campaign in hospitals and most public places about the importance of washing hands. Most places today have a dissolving soap dispenser at the entrance for people to clean their hands.
Below are some tips on when to wash hands in order to rid yourself of infectious agents:
* After using the toilet
* After coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose
* After shaking a lot of hands
* Before and after preparing food
* After handling garbage or animal waste
