Home » Hand washing day: after the fear of the pandemic the laziest Italians

Hand washing day: after the fear of the pandemic the laziest Italians

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For some it has become a habit, for others an obsession. There are also those who do it, if they remember it, only before lunch and dinner. Italians are once again in the middle, slightly behind the rest of the world. We are talking about hand washing, to which a day has been dedicated since 2008 which is now celebrated on October 15, the Global Handwashing Day 2021, to highlight how a simple gesture can ‘save life’.

Covid, need to disinfect the shopping? Most important to wash your hands often

by Cinzia Lucchelli


In 2020 the event involved more than 770 million people in 150 countries and this year the main theme is “Our future is at hand – let’s move forward together” (Our future is close at hand, let’s move forward together).

The increase in this gesture due to the spread of Sars-CoV2 was the subject of a research by Initial, world leader in sanitation and hygiene services, which highlighted the difference in behavior and also in expectations between different populations.

Italians, for example, have proved slower in adopting new habits: if in the world the advent of the pandemic has led 64 percent of people to wash their hands more frequently when they are indoors, for Italians the percentage is 53 percent. Women, who are more receptive, raise the average: 59 percent say they use soap and water more often than men, but they are also more concerned about their health.

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Hands are a vehicle of contagion and washing them correctly can limit the transmission of a series of infectious diseases, from the simplest ones, such as colds, to hepatitis A, not to mention Sars-CoV2.

Covid: water (hydrogen peroxide) and lemon are enough to sanitize your hands


We all know the ‘how’ to wash them now: use soap or antibacterial, spend at least 40-60 seconds cleaning by passing between your fingers, on the back, palm and wrist. Water alone is not needed and, once everything is finished, dry well. Physics was also bothered to find out which is the best method to avoid any contagion: a study, published in Physics of Fluids, on the physics of hand washing dates back to August. Researchers from Hammond Consulting Limited claim that it takes about twenty seconds of vigorous movement under running water to eliminate the bacteria, obviously with soap or antibacterial. This is because the particles are trapped on the surface of the hand and for them to go away the energy of the water must be high. The force of the flowing liquid depends on the movement of the hands: if they move slowly or gently they do not create enough force to overcome the force that holds the particles. So, washing should be done with soap and vigor.

However, the pandemic has brought global awareness of the importance of proper hygiene. Also according to Initial’s research, 73 percent of the world‘s population is more aware of where germs lurk, while in Italy only 68 percent are.

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Another important fact is the willingness of people to continue with this habit over time: 58 percent in fact stated that they will continue to use sanitizing solutions even against common viruses, wherever they are. Here, too, only half of the Italians interviewed replied that they will continue with this, which is now almost considered a ritual, yet 66 percent said they were worried about the possible lack of hygiene of other people. This is especially true in a shared workplace: 80 percent of Italians expect their employer to make the office safe by disinfecting the surfaces they come into contact with. Research also shows that 53% of people now avoid touching frequently used public objects such as doorknobs, demonstrating a greater awareness of how easy cross-contamination is.

Beware of hygiene, too much chemistry is bad for you

by CARLO BELLIENI


Washing your hands is a simple, ordinary gesture. But not for everyone. In some parts of the world, the poorest ones, water, soap, disinfectants are not easy to find, they are not part of everyday life.

A UNICEF research has shown that 40 percent of the world population, about 3 billion people, does not have the opportunity to wash themselves with soap and water at home, 43 percent of schools in the world do not have sinks as well as 26 percent of health care facilities.

The Global Handwashing Day also wants to turn the spotlight on how to find solutions that are accessible to everyone, in every part of the world, even the poorest ones, where not only the importance of the ‘life-saving’ practice must be reaffirmed, but it must also be given the opportunity to put it into practice.

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