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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – COLUMBUS, Ohio – Concerns of influenza and other illness are making the public more aware of the benefits of proper hand hygiene in the home and workplace.
David Taylor, infection preventionist at The Ohio State University Medical Center, advises washing hands with soap or water at a comfortable temperature for at least 15 to 20 seconds. The combination of scrubbing your hands with soap and rinsing them with water loosens and removes bacteria from your hands.
Although antibacterial soaps are widely advertised, they are not necessary to remove germs. Drying hands with a paper towel and using the towel to turn off the faucet is also a good hint, according to Taylor.
Using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer can quickly and conveniently kill microorganisms on the hands if they are not visibly dirty. Hand sanitizers are generally less irritating to the skin and contain skin conditioners making it less likely your hands will become dry and chapped.
Taylor recommends checking the bottle of hand sanitizer for active ingredients, typically ethanol alcohol or isopropanol, to make sure the concentration is between 60 and 90 percent.
“Cleaning hands especially after sneezing or using the bathroom, and after touching things such as public phones, elevator buttons and doorknobs, allows us to get rid of germs we pick up doing everyday things and keeps us from spreading them,” said Taylor. “The most common mode of transmission of pathogens is via hands.”
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