[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/handwash1.jpg” caption=”Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Photo by Susan Bubak.”]Proper hand washing is the most effective action you can take to protect yourself from many common illnesses, including the cold, influenza and gastrointestinal illnesses (often mistakenly called the stomach flu). Washing your hands also helps protect those around you if you are sick.

A quick dip under the tap doesn't cut it. Current guidelines from the Centre for Disease Control recommend washing your hands using clean running water (preferably warm) and applying soap. Hands should be rubbed together for 20 seconds (the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice through). All hand surfaces should be cleaned. Rinse well and dry hands using a paper towel or air dryer if no paper towels are available. Use the paper towel to turn off the faucet.

If you do not have access to soap, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing an alcohol concentration of at least 60 per cent. Sanitizers now come in small bottles that can easily be kept in a backpack, purse or pocket. To use correctly, place some sanitizer on the palm of one hand, rub both hands together and ensure the product covers all surfaces.

Hand washing should take place not just before eating or after using the bathroom, but also before preparing food, before and after tending to someone who is sick, after blowing your nose, after changing diapers or assisting someone in the bathroom, after handling garbage and before and after tending to a cut or wound.