Good hygiene and physical distancing are the best ways to protect yourself and everyone around you from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) according to the World Health Organization. The virus spreads through droplets expelled by a person who has the disease, including by contact with surfaces a sick person has touched. Because most of us can’t isolate ourselves entirely, good hand hygiene can be the final barrier between us and the disease.
When applied to hands thoroughly and scrubbing for at least 20 seconds, both soap and alcohol-based hand sanitisers will stop the coronavirus.
To be effective, hand sanitisers must contain at least 60 per cent alcohol. Some researchers recommend more than 75 per cent alcohol. By comparison, red wines typically contain between 12 and 16 per cent alcohol, and vodka has up to 46 per cent, so don’t try dipping your hands in those.
DID YOU KNW???
Hands are the principal carriers of disease-causing germs.
Only 1 in 5 (19%) people globally wash their hands with soap after defecating
1 in 3 primary schools worldwide does not have handwashing facilities
443 million school days are lost every year because of water-related illnesses.
Handwashing with soap reduces the risk of diarrheal diseases by 42–47%
Global Hand Washing Day (October 15th) was originally created for children and schools, but can be celebrated by everyone. “Our research shows just how important hand washing is — the surprising levels of contamination that we found on everyday objects is a sign that people are forgetting to wash their hands after the toilet, one of the key moments for infection prevention,” said Dr. Val Curtis, from the London School of Hygiene.
Over the past five years, Global Hand Washing Day has grown from a one-day celebration in a few cities to a worldwide movement. Events include an attempt to set a record for the most people washing their hands at the same time and a microbiological investigation into the hygienic nature of currency.
Did you know that 1 in 5 people don’t wash their hands and of those that do only 30% use soap. The CDC recommends 15–20 seconds of vigorous hand washing with soap and water to effectively kill germs, but only about 5% of people wash their hands for 15-seconds or more.
The result — fecal matter including bacteria such as E. coli can be found on just over a quarter of our hands according to a new study by hygiene experts from Queen Mary University of London.
Ironically, 91% of the participants in the study stated they washed their hands after using the toilet, although not surprising the level of fecal organisms found suggested otherwise. “People may tell us they wash their hands but the research shows us different, and highlights just how easily transferable these pathogens are,” said Dr Ron Cutler, who led the research at Queen Mary. Released in support of Global Hand Washing Day, the findings highlight the importance of hand washing with soap before eating and after using the toilet.
“SOAP IS BETTER THAN SANITISER”:DR.Varghese,Public Health Expert said on July 10 in New Delhi,India. Want to know why???
The coronavirus is named for the protein spikes embedded in its surface.
Coronaviruses get their name from the ‘corona’ surrounding the virus — specifically, the protein spikes embedded in its surface. The spikes, which are responsible for infecting the host, are anchored into a membrane. The membrane is the ‘shell’ of the virus. This is the coronavirus’s weak point.
The hydrophobic (water-hating) ‘tails’ of soap molecules can break interactions between lipid molecules in the coronavirus membrane. Image adapted from: Jonatahan Corum and Ferris Jabr/The New York Times
Scientists think that the soap’s tail can disrupt the weak interactions between lipid molecules in the membrane, tearing it apart. If the virus is broken up before it has safely sheltered in a host cell, it will no longer be able to do its infectious job — like a machine with its parts falling out.
Soap molecules then surround virus fragments with all tails facing inside. This cluster is called a micelle. The outward-facing hydrophilic heads allow the micelle to be washed down the drain with water.
With their mixture of hydrophobic (water-hating) and hydrophilic (water-loving) parts, soap molecules can interact with both virus fragments and water molecules. Image adapted from: Jonatahan Corum and Ferris Jabr/The New York Times
The same lipid molecules that enclose the virus in a membrane also cause it to cling to the oils on your skin. Using soap to wash your hands weakens these interactions, and virus particles are washed down the drain. Water alone won’t do.
This action of ridding your hands of virus particles is just as important as any role soap plays in interfering with the virus’s membrane.
If you have no soap on hand, the World Health Organization recommend alcohol-based hand sanitisers to remove the novel coronavirus. Your hand sanitiser might contain ethanol, isopropanol, n-propanol or a combination of these three alcohols. All are effective against lipid-wrapped viruses like the novel coronavirus.
Alcohol-based hand sanitisers are thought to work by preventing the proteins of microbes — including bacteria and some viruses — from functioning normally. Hand sanitisers with a high alcohol content might also interfere with the lipid shell surrounding the coronavirus.
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Global Hand Washing Day (October 15th) was originally created for children and schools, but can be celebrated by everyone. “Our research shows just how important hand washing is — the surprising levels of contamination that we found on everyday objects is a sign that people are forgetting to wash their hands after the toilet, one of the key moments for infection prevention,” said Dr. Val Curtis, from the London School of Hygiene.
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