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One of the primary goals of the Health, Wellness and Safety committee for the 2007/08 school year is to reduce the number of letters that have to be sent from the school nurse that start with those all too familiar and menacing words… “A case of ______________ has been reported in your child’s class”. To that end, we would appreciate it if you took a moment to review some basic facts about good hand hygiene that can help our kids stay healthy throughout the school year. The dangers of not washing your hands Throughout the day, children accumulate germs on their hands from a variety of sources including, doorknobs, playground equipment, keyboards, bathrooms, etc. If they do not wash their hands frequently enough, they can infect themselves by touching their eyes, nose or mouth and spread germs to others by direct contact. Proper hand-washing techniques Proper hand washing with soap and water ¨ Wet hands with warm, running water and apply liquid or clean bar soap. Lather well. ¨ Rub hands vigorously together for at least 15 seconds. (As long as it takes to sing the ABC”s , or “Happy Birthday” song) ¨ Scrub all surfaces, including the backs of hands, wrists, between fingers and under fingernails. ¨ Rinse well. ¨ Dry hands with a clean or disposable towel. ¨ Use a towel to turn off the faucet. Proper use of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer Alcohol-based hand sanitizers — which don't require water — are an excellent alternative to hand washing, particularly when soap and water aren't available. They're actually more effective than soap and water in killing bacteria and viruses that cause disease. Commercially prepared hand sanitizers contain ingredients that help prevent skin dryness. Using these products can result in less skin dryness and irritation than hand washing. To use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer: Apply about 1/2 tsp of the product to the palm of your hand. Rub hands together, covering all surfaces, until they're dry. When should children wash hands? Always have children wash hands: ¨ After using the bathroom ¨ Before and after handling/eating food ¨ After blowing nose ¨ After coughing or sneezing into hands ¨ Before and after treating wounds or cuts ¨ Before and after touching a sick or injured person ¨ After handling garbage ¨ After touching animals or animal waste
Audra Lee and Dena Alberti Health, Wellness and Safety Co-Chairs |
