The Germy Truth
By Donna Takeda
The Collegian |
Everyday I wash my hands at least a dozen times. My definition of “wash”
includes soap, lots of water and the furious rubbing of palms.
The habit can’t be avoided, as I parallel Adrian Monk with my obsessive
avoidance of germs.
Germs coat door handles, buttons on ATM machines, handrails, gas pumps,
pets, money, desktops formerly occupied by runny-nosed kids, papers you
retrieve from the floor and chairs used as footstools.
Just thinking about it is gross, but more disquieting is the number of
people who really don’t care.
For instance, on more than one occasion I’ve observed girls exit
bathroom stalls, fix their hair, adjust their tops and apply lip balm,
all before splashing a drop of water on their fingertips to ensure they’re
clean. In this interval I haven’t even finished washing my own hands.
One out of three people don’t wash their hands after using the restroom,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site.
You grubby people know who you are.
On the other hand, there exists those kindred spirits who push open the
bathroom door with their foot or consistently use hand sanitizer. And
I salute you.
“You need to wash your hands anytime after using the bathroom, before
you eat, if you sneeze or cough, if you touch someone,” said Kathy
Bentley, a registered nurse at University Health Center.
“Basically your hands should be under water all the time,”
she added jokingly.
She said soap is a must and the water should run for at least 30 seconds.
Why this phobia of germs? Simply because they–– bacteria,
viruses, parasites and fungi— can make you ill or kill you. Preventive
measures decrease your chances of catching anything from the flu to deadly
meningitis, the CDC Web site stated.
Keep in mind that merely acquiring germs on one’s hands isn’t
going to make a body sick. The germs have to find an inlet into your body,
such as through cuts or mucus membranes.
That’s right, rubbing your eyes, nose or mouth introduces germs
into your system.
Circumstances exist in which washing one’s hands isn’t possible.
In fact, you might run the risk of picking up more germs going into the
public restroom. This is when you pull out your convenient bottle of hand
sanitizer.
Bentley warns not to become too dependent on hand sanitizer. “Antibacterial
hand sanitizers don’t replace hand washing,” she said. “You
still have to wash away the dirt and fluids, but if you can’t get
to a faucet, then use it.”
Clean hands will keep you healthier, I haven’t been sick, well since
I can remember. But don’t just wash up for your own sake, do it
for the sake of everyone you come in contact with.
If everyone grew consciously cleaner I wouldn’t cringe after someone
returns a borrowed pen, nor would I feel compelled to throw it away!
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