Afraid of illness? Wash your hands ALREADY!

Ask the Nurse: Christine Hammerlund
President of Assured Healthcare Staffing and Nurse

He came in at 6 p.m. as he normally does and sat down for dinner. Thursday. Pasta. Jim and I have been married for 40 years. I still like him, which should tell you something. Actually, I like him a lot. “Have you washed your hands?” I asked. He gave me that look.

“No, but I don't really need to because they're clean. Don't you remember? Accountants never get dirty.” I gave him the look back. “No, they are not clean.”

“So, he says, “you're being a nurse tonight aren't you?” I was, and he knew better than to fight me. “Yes,” I said. “It's who I am. It's what I do.” So, he got up and headed down the hall to wash his hands.

And if you're mom never gave you the rules about handwashing, here's my personal favorite tip. It takes about 30 seconds of good lathering to kill the germs. It just so happens that's how long it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” just the slow way Marilyn Monroe did it when she serenaded President Kennedy.

Now, here are five things you should know about washing your hands, and, for pity sakes, lather up every time: This is a filthy planet. The germs that can kill you (or at least make you so sick you're not sure you want to live) are everywhere. Everything you touch - people, objects, surfaces -- will pass along the germs. If you wash once a day, you're just asking for trouble.

Every year, diarrhea and acute respiratory infections kill more than 3.5 million children under five around this world. These figures could be cut dramatically if handwashing with soap were widely practiced.
Diarrhea is responsible for children missing millions of school days every year. A recent study suggests that hand washing with soap at critical times could help reduce school absenteeism by around 42 percent.
With proper use, all soaps work about the same at removing germs. Worry about the H1N1 virus, if you wish. But worry more about dirty hands.
A child dies ever 3.5 seconds on Earth. Most die from lack of care as simple as they and their parents washing their hands often every day.