Mumbai: Fear and paranoia during Covid instilled in people the key hygiene habit of frequently washing hands, especially before eating or touching one’s face. The virus is on the wane and we are back to our old ways. In fact, 8-10% of people believe there is no correlation between washing hands regularly and good health.
This year the theme for Global Handwashing Day is ‘Clean hands are within reach’, and serves as a platform to educate people, particularly children, about the importance of hand hygiene. Health experts said that people have become knowledgeable towards medical issues since the pandemic, and some of them still follow the protocols, including hand washing.
Expert Paediatrician Stresses On Educating Children About Hand Hygiene
Dr Asmita Mahajan, consultant neonatologist and paediatrician at SL Raheja Hospital in Mahim, said that the pandemic highlighted the importance of hand hygiene. She added that educating children about hand hygiene and making it a daily routine is the key to keeping infections at bay.
Schools also need to be more proactive in insisting that kids wash hands before lunchtime and provide sufficient washrooms and time for toilet breaks, she said. “Kids need to understand that just sanitising their dirty/muddy hands does not constitute proper hand hygiene. The habit needs reinforcement and gentle strictness from teachers and parents alike,” she said.Experts said that not washing hands is directly related to malnutrition and stunting in India. Eating with unclean hands leads to infectious diseases.
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