Diseases spread by hands

CEBU, Philippines – The hands are very important body parts. It is difficult to imagine how people would do without their hands. But the big convenience that hands provide is only half the story.

Hands also make it possible for people to easily commit wrongdoings. People use their hands to inflict pain – both on one another and on themselves. Even without intending to, they often put themselves ill health by way of their hands.

The website www.livestrong .com notes that many viruses and bacteria infect people only when they enter the nose or mouth. People with diseases transmitted via the fecal-oral route can spread the disease to nearby objects or food if they don’t wash their hands properly after using the toilet. Airborne illnesses spread through droplets in the air, which land on nearby objects. Touching an infected object transmits germs to one’s hands and touching the nose or mouth with unwashed hand transmits the virus or bacteria.

The website lists diseases commonly spread by hands:

Noroviruses. These cause gastrointestinal infections. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps are common symptoms of noroviruses, which are transmitted via the fecal-oral route and spread quickly through large groups of people in close quarters, such as cruise ships, military barracks and day-care centers.

Noroviruses can also be spread by people with the virus handling food and not washing their hands after using the bathroom. Contaminated food won’t taste or smell unusual, so there’s no way to know it’s infected.

The spread of norovirus can be prevented by thorough hand washing after using the bathroom or after changing diapers of a person infected with the disease. Frequent hand washing when in close contact with others, along with avoiding touching your nose and mouth, decreases your chance of becoming infected.

Airborne Illnesses. Respiratory illnesses are spread via droplets breathed, sneezed or coughed into the air by someone with the disease. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, sneezing and coughing can spread droplets as far as three feet, a wide area for droplets to land on nearby objects. Common respiratory illnesses that can be spread by poor hand washing include rhinoviruses such as the common cold and influenza. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention also cites Chicken pox, meningitis and Group A and B streptoccal infections as airborne illnesses.

Nosocomial Infections. Many infections are transmitted to hospital patients from other patients or staff members by poor hand washing techniques. If hospital staff members don’t wash thoroughly between patients, they carry bacteria and viruses from one patient to another. Some types of nosocomial infections are quite difficult to eradicate, including methcillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, clostridium difficile and Vancomycin resistant enterocci. Escherichia coli (or E. coli) and pseudomonas are also commonly encountered nosocomial infections.

Approximately 10 percent of hospital patients are infected with a nosocomial infection during their stay, reports Stephen Abedon, Ph.D. of the Ohio State University at Mansfield Department of Microbiology; and 20,000 people in the United States die from the infection each year.

Hepatitis A. Hepatitis A is a viral infection that affects the liver, causing jaundice, lack of appetite, abdominal pain, fever and fatigue. It is often spread via food contaminated by food handlers with the disease who don’t thoroughly wash their hands after using the bathroom. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, digesting even microscopic traces of contaminated fecal matter causes transmission of the disease.

Hepatitis A can also be transmitted through close personal contact if the person has the bacteria on her hands or other part of the body that she touches. If others wash their hands before touching their own mouths or noses, the can decrease the risk of getting the disease.

The great importance of proper handwashing in preventing the transmission of various diseases cannot be underestimated. The practice is so helpful such that the Global Handwashing Day is observed worldwide every year, in order to focus public attention and promote understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap as an easy, effective, and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives.

Global Handwashing Day, observed on October 15 each year, aims to 1) foster and support a global and local culture of handwashing with soap, 2) shine a spotlight on the state of handwashing around the world, and 3) raise awareness about the benefits of handwashing with soap. Each year, over 200 million people are involved in celebrations in over 100 countries around the world.