Smart Health

(ARA) - Your best defense against swine flu and other viruses this flu season may well be the humble paper hand towel. At least one study shows that using a disposable hand towel to dry your hands reduces germs on them by 77 percent.

Damp hands spread 1,000 times more germs than dry hands, according to a report in the journal, Epidemiology and Infection. It is therefore as important to dry your hands as it is to wash them carefully with soap and warm water. When away from home, a single-use paper towel ensures that hands can be completely dried and are virtually germ-free.

Paper hand towels also help the cleaning itself, due to generated friction. Up to 99 percent of germs can be removed by drying your hands properly, the report states. The drier your hands, the safer you will be.

Paper towels are the key to hygienic hands
Getting from 90 percent dry to nearly 100 percent dry is extremely important. A single-use paper towel is the most effective option, as it only takes a few seconds to dry your hands completely and removes nearly 100 percent of germs.

A 2008 University of Westminster study shows disposable hand towels are the only option that reduces the number of germs on your hands (by up to 77 percent). Many people believe incorrectly that hot air drying is the most hygienic way to dry your hands, but compared to single use paper towels, warm air dryers can actually increase the bacteria on hands by up to 254 percent. Additionally, these dryers take an average of 43 seconds to get your hands only 95 percent dry.

“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 40 percent of Americans could contract the swine flu (H1N1) virus through 2010. Properly washing and, equally important, effectively drying your hands are simple ways of dramatically decreasing your risk of being infected,” says Mike Kapalko, SCA Tissue’s Environmental & Tork Services manager. “As a leader in hygienic solutions, Tork provides businesses and consumers with handwashing resources such as posters and educational videos through our Web site.”

The WHO estimates that 2 billion people, one third of the world’s population, could be infected before the end of the pandemic and North American college and university campuses have begun to report hundreds, and in one case thousands, of potential H1N1 cases over the past two weeks.

Viruses can survive on common surfaces like faucet or door handles for up to 72 hours, and considering people touch over 300 different surfaces every 30 minutes, good hand hygiene is essential to minimize the spread.

Paper hand towels are also the preferred way of drying hands in public washrooms, as demonstrated in a recent Harris Interactive Consumer Poll comparing users’ attitudes toward different hand-drying solutions. A clear majority (55 percent) prefer single-use paper towels to jet air dryers (25 percent), warm and hot air dryers (16 percent) and cloth or linen towels (1 percent).

Visit www.torkusa.com/handwashingvideo to view an informational video by Tork on proper handwashing.

Courtesy of ARA content
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Handwashing tips for flu season:

When should you wash your hands?

To prevent infection and cross-contamination you should wash your hands:
* After arriving at work.
* Before meals or eating any food.
* After visiting the restroom.
* After sneezing.
* Before preparing food.
* Before and after visiting a sick person.
* After arriving home.
* When hands are visibly dirty.

The best way to wash and dry your hands:

Hands are full of surfaces that can be difficult to reach, which means that many people tend to forget certain parts. When you go to a public washroom, washing your hands properly should take about as long as singing “Happy Birthday” twice.

* Wet hands with clean warm water.
* Apply soap.
* Rub hands together vigorously and scrub all surfaces for 20 seconds. Remember to wash both of your thumbs as thumbs are quite often skipped in the handwashing process!
* Make sure to wash under nails, watches and jewelry since millions of germs gather there.
* Rinse with clean water.
* Dry hands with a single-use paper towel until they are completely dry.
* Use the paper towel to avoid contact with frequently touched surfaces while leaving the washroom, such as the faucet and door handles.
* Since hands are to be washed frequently, use mild and gentle soaps.