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Promoting hand hygiene: Sanitisers not complete replacement for soap
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Frequent hand washing has been identified as the cheapest, easiest, most important and effective way to stay clean and safe from bacteria and viruses driven diseases.
Between soap and hand sanitisers, many are, however, left confused over which one serves a better purpose in dealing with bacteria or virus.
Addressing this concern, a Public Health Practitioner, Mr William Anku, says in general, both hand washing with soap and water and hand sanitisers, when done correctly, can be effective at killing most germs and pathogens.
Speaking with The Spectator in an interview, Mr Anku, who also doubles as a Technical Support Officer with the Ghana AIDS Commission, Ho Technical Support Unit, said among the two, sanitisers can be less effective against some microorganisms and do not physically remove dirt, grease or certain chemicals.
He said while alcohol based hand sanitisers were useful when soap and water were not readily available, they should not be considered a complete replacement for proper hand washing.
Mr Anku said a sanitiser containing at least 60 per cent alcohol could rapidly reduce many types of harmful microorganisms on the hand.
He, however, elaborated that people with visibly dirty or greasy hands should wash them with soap and running water because sanitiser could not physically remove the dirt or grease.
“When hands are visibly dirty or greasy, soap and water are preferable,” he mentioned.
Mr Anku advised people using sanitisers to apply enough to cover all surfaces of the hands and rub them together until completely dry, stressing that soap helped loosen dirt, oils, microorganisms and other contaminants from the skin so they could be rinsed away.
“Water alone can remove some visible dirt and a portion of microorganisms, but it is considerably less effective than washing with soap,” heunderlined.
He urged the public to wash hands with soap and running water after using the toilet, before preparing or eating food, after coughing or sneezing, after caring for a sick person and whenever the hands were visibly dirty.
Mr Anku also drew attention to the importance of drying hands after washing, saying wet hands could transfer microorganisms easily than dry hands.
He recommended clean, disposable paper towels, particularly in healthcare facilities and public settings. Where reusable cloth towels were used, he said they should be clean and changed regularly.
He added that properly maintained air dryers could also be used.
On whether warm water was better than cold water for hand washing, Mr Anku noted that the temperature of the water was not the most important factor.
He explained that cold, lukewarm or warm running water could all be used, stressing that using soap, rubbing adequately, rinsing thoroughly and drying properly were more important.
He cautioned against using excessively hot water because it could irritate or damage the skin.
Again, Mr Anku mentioned that people should scrub all surfaces of their hands with soap for at least 20 seconds before rinsing thoroughly with running water.
He said rushing through the process could result in some areas of the hands being missed.
He suggested that people could sing “Happy Birthday” twice at a normal pace while scrubbing to help achieve the recommended duration, noting that the choice of song was not important but the time spent rubbing was.
He also cautioned that frequent hand washing, repeated use of alcohol based sanitisers, harsh soaps and very hot water could cause dryness, irritation, cracking or dermatitis, particularly among people with sensitive skin.
He advised the public to use mild soaps, avoid excessively hot water and apply moisturising hand cream or lotion regularly, especially after washing.
Mr Anku says washing hands for too short a time was one of the common mistakes people made.
Others included failing to cover the entire hand with soap, forgetting the backs of the hands, spaces between the fingers, thumbs and underneath the fingernails.
Furthermore, he mentioned rinsing immediately without adequate rubbing, failing to dry the hands properly, touching contaminated surfaces immediately after washing and using too little sanitiser.
“Effective hand hygiene is not simply about putting soap or sanitiser on the hands; the technique matters,” he stressed.
Mr Anku urged the public to make hand hygiene part of everyday life, saying the seemingly small action could have a significant impact on public health.
“Hand hygiene may seem like a small action, but collectively it can prevent a significant amount of illness and protect entire communities,” he indicated.
Traditional postpartum practices that keep nursing mothers indoors to eat excessively, gain weight and ‘look good’ could increase their risk of developing type 2 diabetes and hypertension, a medical doctor has cautioned.
The practice, which is intended to help mothers recover from childbirth and regain their strength, encourages women to eat more while engaging in little or no physical activity.
According to Dr Elliot Koranteng Tannor, a Consultant Nephrologist at the OKomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Founder of Kidney Health International, excessive calorie intake coupled with physical inactivity after childbirth could result in continuous weight gain, particularly when mothers fail to shed pregnancy-related weight before subsequent pregnancies.
He said although pregnancy naturally resulted in weight gain to support the growth and development of the baby, some of the weight should gradually reduce after delivery as the baby and placenta were no longer in the mother’s body.
Dr Eliot said the problem comes when nursing mothers were encouraged to eat excessively on the assumption that they needed large quantities of food to produce sufficient breast milk.
He said while mothers needed adequate nutrition during breastfeeding, excessive eating without corresponding physical activity could result in a cycle of weight gain.
He illustrated that a woman who gained 4kg during her first pregnancy but failed to lose it, and subsequently gain the same after delivery, could enter her next pregnancy carrying eight additional kilogrammes.
The doctor further cautioned that repeated weight accumulation could increase the risk of diabetes, hypertension and other cardiovascular conditions.
He urged families to change the perception that a woman must become visibly bigger after childbirth to prove that she was healthy and well cared for.
He added that the three-month period before the naming ceremony should instead be used to support mothers to recover healthily, eat balanced meals and gradually become physically active.
Dr Eliot recommended brisk walking and other appropriate physical activities after mothers had adequately recovered from childbirth.
He said mothers who had undergone Caesarean sections should allow their bodies to heal and follow medical advice before engaging in strenuous exercise, but simple walking could eventually form part of their recovery.
“A nursing mother does not go anywhere. You are on maternity leave, you are just sitting at home, eating, breastfeeding and sleeping. Obviously, your chances of gaining more weight increase,” he indicated.
He advised mothers to monitor their weight and blood sugar, particularly women with a family history of diabetes or those who had experienced gestational diabetes during pregnancy.
Dr Elliot explained that gestational diabetes could improve after delivery, but some women continued to have elevated blood sugar and could subsequently develop diabetes.
He, therefore, urged families to support nursing mothers with nutritious food without pressuring them to overeat, stressing that a mother did not need to become visibly heavier for people to recognise that she was healthy.
moreover, the doctor advised mothers to maintain a healthy weight between pregnancies, saying preventing excessive weight accumulation could reduce their long-term risk of diabetes and hypertension.
He said cultural practices could be maintained as part of Ghanaian family life, but they should not compromise the health of mothers who had just gone through pregnancy and childbirth.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
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A 22-year-old fisherman who stabbed a man on the left arm, back and head during traditional rites at Teshie in Accra has been sentenced to three months’ imprisonment.
Godwin Tetteh, charged with causing harm, pleaded guilty when he appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.
The court convicted him on his plea and sentenced him accordingly.
Chief Inspector Wisdom Alorwu, who led the prosecution, said the complainant, Christopher Tetteh, was a driver and a resident of Teshie, as was the convict.
He said on June 12, at about 19:00 hours, the complainant went to pray at a mosque and, while returning home, the convict saw him and asked him to stop.
The prosecutor said the convict questioned the complainant about why traditional rites had been performed for his daughter to become a priestess without his consent.
The complainant reportedly responded that if the convict was a good father, he would have known about his daughter’s traditional rites.
This infuriated the convict, who allegedly punched the complainant twice in the mouth.
The prosecution said the convict then pulled out a pair of scissors and stabbed the complainant in the left arm, back and head, causing injuries.
It said when the convict attempted to flee, the complainant smashed him in the mouth, after which he took to his heels.
The complainant subsequently went to the Police station to report and, while there, the convict was brought to the station in connection with another offence, where the complainant identified him.
A Police medical form was issued to the complainant to seek treatment at the hospital.
The prosecution said the convict admitted the offence in his caution statement. –GNA
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