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Part III National Handwashing Week! What the CDC states about handwashing!

Dec9
Through the CDC the tell us how germs got on to our hands and make people sick:

THE CDC states:

“Feces (poop) from people or animals is an important source of germs like Salmonella, E. coli O157, and norovirus that cause diarrhea, and it can spread some respiratory infections like adenovirus and hand-foot-mouth disease. These kinds of germs can get onto hands after people use the toilet or change a diaper, but also in less obvious ways, like after handling raw meats that have invisible amounts of animal poop on them. A single gram of human feces—which is about the weight of a paper clip—can contain one trillion germs 1. Germs can also get onto hands if people touch any object that has germs on it because someone coughed or sneezed on it or was touched by some other contaminated object. When these germs get onto hands and are not washed off, they can be passed from person to person and make people sick.

Washing hands prevents illnesses and spread of infections to others

Handwashing with soap removes germs from hands. This helps prevent infections because:

  • People frequently touch their eyes, nose, and mouth without even realizing it. Germs can get into the body through the eyes, nose and mouth and make us sick.
  • Germs from unwashed hands can get into foods and drinks while people prepare or consume them. Germs can multiply in some types of foods or drinks, under certain conditions, and make people sick.
  • Germs from unwashed hands can be transferred to other objects, like handrails, table tops, or toys, and then transferred to another person’s hands.
  • Removing germs through handwashing therefore helps prevent diarrhea and respiratory infections and may even help prevent skin and eye infections.

Teaching people about handwashing helps them and their communities stay healthy. Handwashing education in the community:

  • Reduces the number of people who get sick with diarrhea by 23-40% 2, 3, 6
  • Reduces diarrheal illness in people with weakened immune systems by 58%  4
  • Reduces respiratory illnesses, like colds, in the general population by 16-21% 3, 5
  • Reduces absenteeism due to gastrointestinal illness in schoolchildren by 29-57% 7
Not washing hands harms children around the world

About 1.8 million children under the age of 5 die each year from diarrheal diseases and pneumonia, the top two killers of young children around the
world 8.

  • Handwashing with soap could protect about 1 out of every 3 young children who get sick with diarrhea 2, 3 and almost 1 out of 5 young children with respiratory infections like pneumonia 3, 5.
  • Although people around the world clean their hands with water, very few use soap to wash their hands. Washing hands with soap removes germs much more effectively 9.
  • Handwashing education and access to soap in schools can help improve attendance 10, 11, 12.
  • Good handwashing early in life may help improve child development in some settings 13.
  • Estimated global rates of handwashing after using the toilet are only 19% 6.
Handwashing helps battle the rise in antibiotic resistance

Preventing sickness reduces the amount of antibiotics people use and the likelihood that antibiotic resistance will develop. Handwashing can prevent about 30% of diarrhea-related sicknesses and about 20% of respiratory infections (e.g., colds) 2, 5. Antibiotics often are prescribed unnecessarily for these health issues 14. Reducing the number of these infections by washing hands frequently helps prevent the overuse of antibiotics—the single most important factor leading to antibiotic resistance around the world. Handwashing can also prevent people from getting sick with germs that are already resistant to antibiotics and that can be difficult to treat.”

So what did we learn today WASH OUR HANDS REGULARLY!

QUOTE FOR FRIDAY:

Dec8

“Hand hygiene saves millions of lives every year when performed at the right moments during health care delivery. It is also a smart investment that offers exceptional return for each dollar invested. Clean care is a sign of respect to those who seek care, and it protects health and other workers who provide that care.

Now is a critical time when countries across the world need to accelerate implementation of lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and increase investments to close gaps in infection prevention and control (IPC), including hand hygiene. Indeed, many countries are demonstrating strong engagement and advancements in scaling-up those actions, but overall, the progress is slow, and gains are at risk.

Together, we can galvanize action on preventing infections and antimicrobial resistance in health care. Strong and engaged communities of health workers, policy makers and civil society organizations (CSOs) can accelerate and sustain action at the point of care to keep people safe and healthy.

For World Hand Hygiene Day 2023, we put CSOs in focus. Driven by their passion, values and strong social justice agendas, and often in close proximity to the communities they serve, CSOs can spearhead and accelerate change at local, national and international levels. ”

World Health Organization – WHO (https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-hand-hygiene-day/2023)

Part II National Handwashing Week. The Facts about Handwashing!

Dec8

Facts about Handwashing:

  • On average, you come into contact with 300 surfaces every 30 minutes, exposing you to 840,000 germs.
  • Only about 5% of people wash their hands correctly.
  • Most people only wash their hands for 6 seconds.
  • Around 33% of people don’t use soap when washing their hands.
  • Up to 80% of communicable diseases are transferred by touch.
  • Proper handwashing can reduce diarrhea rates  by 40% and respiratory infections by close to 20%.
  • Failing to wash hands correctly contributes to nearly 50% of all foodborne illness outbreaks.
  • Only 20% of people wash their hands before preparing food, and 39% before eating food.
  • About 7% of women and 15% of men do not wash their hands at all after using the bathroom.
  • Most bacteria on our hands is on the fingertips and under the nails. The number of bacteria on our fingertips doubles after using the bathroom. Most people wash the palms of their hands and miss everything else.
  • Damp hands are 1,000x more likely to spread bacteria than dry hands. Only about 20% of people dry their hands after washing them.
  • There is fecal matter on 10% of credit cards, 14% of banknotes and 16% of cellphones.
  • Approximately 39% of people don’t wash their hands after sneezing, coughing or after blowing their nose.
  • Elevator buttons harbor 22% more bacteria than toilet seats.
  • Reminder signs are successful in encouraging more handwashing.
  • Dirty sinks result in less handwashing.
  • Handwashing rates are higher in the mornings than evenings.

If everyone did handwashing properly many infections could be decreased from respiratory, nasal, to foodborne illnesses.  Good handwashing techniques can block alot of illnesses.  While the majority of people as high as 95% claim to practice proper hand hygiene, studies show that only 67% of people practice any sort of hand hygiene.

QUOTE FOR THURSDAY:

Dec7

“80 % of communicable diseases are believed to be transmitted by human hands. According to the CDC and the latest research) is the most effective way to prevent the spread of Coronavirus and other communicable diseases is through washing your hands with soap and water frequently and correctly, following CDC guidelines. The U.S. as of Dec 2020 was currently experiencing the following that can be mitigated by regular hand washing, which was novel influenza virus pandemic, a national measles outbreak and a novel coronavirus pandemic.  Why all this awareness on handwashing people? Because we are bad at remembering as a population and even worse at how we wash our hands. A quick survey of five pre-covid handwashing studies showed that on average, only about 40% of men and 64% of women wash their hands after using a public restroom.” Even though there is some evidence of some small improvements in these figures after the covid pandemic, that still leaves about 60% of men and 34% of women walking around with contaminated hands, not to mention cell phones, wallets, credit cards, and everything else we touch.”.  If your not part of that percentile GREAT but if you are you may want to following hand washing week purpose with the including the understanding why.  Look at disease or illnesses that can come from contacting or droplet that can be decreased in being transmitted to others in one step handwashing if the person who is ill is not on isolation quarantined that take other actions with handwashing to prevent transmission to others.”

Avalon Memory of Care since 1995   (https://avalonmemorycare.com/national-hand-washing-awareness-month/)

Part I National Handwashing Week

Dec7

 

When & How to Wash Your Hands

Keeping hands clean through improved hand hygiene is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. Many diseases and conditions are spread by not washing hands with soap and clean, running water. If clean, running water is not accessible, as is common in many parts of the world, use soap and available water. If soap and water are unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol to clean hands.

When should you wash your hands?

  • Before, during, and after preparing food
  • Before eating food
  • Before and after caring for someone who is sick
  • Before and after treating a cut or wound
  • After using the toilet
  • After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
  • After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
  • After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
  • After handling pet food or pet treats
  • After touching garbage

How should you wash your hands?

  • Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
  • Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure to lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
  • Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
  • Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
  • Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

What should you do if you don’t have soap and clean, running water?

Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to reduce the number of germs on them in most situations. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on hands in some situations, but sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs and might not remove harmful chemicals.

Hand sanitizers are not as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy.

How do you use hand sanitizers?

  • Apply the product to the palm of one hand (read the label to learn the correct amount).
  • Rub your hands together.
  • Rub the product over all surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry.

 Almost everyone has dropped food on the floor and still wanted to eat it. Some people apply the “5-second rule” — that random saying about how food won’t become contaminated with bacteria if you pick it up off the floor in 5 seconds or less.

The 5-second rule has become such a part of our culture that scientists actually tested it. As you can probably guess, they found that the “rule” is mostly myth: Bacteria can attach to food even if you pick it up super fast. So, depending on which types of bacteria happen to climb on board, you could still get sick.

Here are two facts to consider whenever you feel tempted by the 5-second rule:

  1. A clean-looking floor isn’t necessarily clean. A shiny linoleum floor is probably cleaner than a 1970s-era carpet. But even clean, dry floors can harbor bacteria. Newly washed floors are only as clean as the tools used to wash them (picture eating food off the mop in the cafeteria if you need a visual). Even with a brand-new mop or sponge, stubborn germs can still remain on the floor after cleaning.
  2. Fast is better — but it may not be fast enough. Although a piece of food does pick up more bacteria the longer it’s on the floor, bacteria can attach to it instantly. So any food that makes contact with the floor can get contaminated if conditions are right. And foods with wet surfaces, like an apple slice, pick up bacteria easily.

When in Doubt, Toss It Out

Some bacteria are not harmful. But others can torture you with miserable stuff like diarrhea. Even if there’s no visible dirt on your food, you can still get sick. You just can’t tell what kinds of bacteria may be lurking on the floor.

So what are you to do with the piece of watermelon that just slipped from your grip? The safest choice is to throw it out. Or let the dog have it. (And there’s another thing to consider — even the 5-second rule can’t get around the fact that your food may have landed right in a spot where Fido parked his butt.)

QUOTE FOR WEDNESDAY:

Dec6

“Key facts

  • HIV remains a major global public health issue, having claimed 40.4 million [32.9–51.3 million] lives so far with ongoing transmission in all countries globally; with some countries reporting increasing trends in new infections when previously on the decline.
  • There were an estimated 39.0 million [33.1–45.7 million] people living with HIV at the end of 2022, two thirds of whom (25.6 million) are in the WHO African Region.
  • In 2022, 630 000 [480 000–880 000] people died from HIV-related causes and 1.3 million [1.0–1.7 million] people acquired HIV.”.

World Health Organization WHO (https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/hiv-aids)

QUOTE FOR TUESDAY:

Dec5

“Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). By damaging your immune system, HIV interferes with your body’s ability to fight infection and disease.

HIV is a sexually transmitted infection (STI). It can also be spread by contact with infected blood and from illicit injection drug use or sharing needles. It can also be spread from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding. Without medication, it may take years before HIV weakens your immune system to the point that you have AIDS.

There’s still no cure for HIV/AIDS.”

MAYO CLINIC (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hiv-aids/symptoms-causes/syc-20373524)

QUOTE FOR MONDAY:

Dec3

“In 2015, an estimated 1.3% of US adults (3 million) reported being diagnosed with IBD (either Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis). Prevalence differed by several sociodemographic characteristics, including age, race/ethnicity, education, and poverty.  The prevalence of IBD increased from 2001 to 2018 among Medicare beneficiaries of all race and ethnicity groups, with the highest increase rate among non-Hispanic Black adults.”

Center for Disease Control and Prevention – CDC

(https://www.cdc.gov/ibd/data-and-statistics/prevalence.html) – The page was last reviewed 4/2022

Diagnostic Testing for ulcerative colitis versus chron’s disease!

Dec3

IBD refers to both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, however they can be distinguished from one another by their symptoms, GI involvement, biopsy, and antibody testing.

Your doctor will likely diagnose ulcerative colitis after ruling out other possible causes for your signs and symptoms. To help confirm the diagnosis the MD may have one or more of the following tests and procedures.

Diagnostic Tests for Ulcerative Colitis:

To help confirm a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis, you may have one or more of the following tests and procedures:

Lab tests

  • Blood tests. Your provider may suggest blood tests to check for anemia — a condition in which there aren’t enough red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to your tissues — or to check for signs of infection or inflammation.
  • Stool studies. White blood cells or certain proteins in your stool can indicate ulcerative colitis. A stool sample also can help rule out other disorders, such as infections caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites.

Endoscopic procedures

  • Colonoscopy. This exam allows your provider to view your entire colon using a thin, flexible, lighted tube with a camera on the end. During the procedure, tissue samples are taken for laboratory analysis. This is known as a tissue biopsy. A tissue sample is necessary to make the diagnosis.
  • Flexible sigmoidoscopy. Your provider uses a slender, flexible, lighted tube to examine the rectum and sigmoid colon — the lower end of your colon. If your colon is severely inflamed, this test may be preferred instead of a full colonoscopy.

Imaging procedures

  • X-ray. If you have severe symptoms, your provider may use a standard X-ray of your abdominal area to rule out serious complications, such as a megacolon or a perforated colon.
  • CT scan. A CT scan of your abdomen or pelvis may be performed if a complication from ulcerative colitis is suspected. A CT scan may also reveal how much of the colon is inflamed.
  • Computerized tomography (CT) enterography and magnetic resonance (MR) enterography. These types of noninvasive tests may be recommended to exclude any inflammation in the small intestine. These tests are more sensitive for finding inflammation in the bowel than are conventional imaging tests. MR enterography is a radiation-free alternative.

Diagnostic tests for Chron’s Disease:

Blood tests

  • Lab tests

    • Blood tests. Your provider may suggest blood tests to check for anemia — a condition in which there aren’t enough red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to your tissues — or to check for signs of infection or inflammation.
    • Tests for anemia or infection. Your doctor may suggest blood tests to check for anemia — a condition in which there aren’t enough red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to your tissues — or to check for signs of infection. Expert guidelines do not currently recommend antibody or genetic testing for Crohn’s disease.
    • Fecal occult blood test. You may need to provide a stool sample so that your doctor can test for hidden (occult) blood in your stool. Red blood cells would be determined.
    • Also further Stool studies. White blood cells or certain proteins in your stool can indicate ulcerative colitis. A stool sample also can help rule out other disorders, such as infections caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites.

Diagnostic Procedures

  • Colonoscopy. This test allows your doctor to view your entire colon and the very end of your ileum (terminal ileum) using a thin, flexible, lighted tube with an attached camera. During the procedure, your doctor can also take small samples of tissue (biopsy) for laboratory analysis, which may help confirm a diagnosis. Clusters of inflammatory cells called granulomas, if present, help confirm the diagnosis of Crohn’s.
  • Computerized tomography (CT). You may have a CT scan — a special X-ray technique that provides more detail than a standard X-ray does. This test looks at the entire bowel as well as at tissues outside the bowel. CT enterography is a special CT scan that provides better images of the small bowel. This test has replaced barium X-rays in many medical centers.
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). An MRI scanner uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed images of organs and tissues. MRI is particularly useful for evaluating a fistula around the anal area (pelvic MRI) or the small intestine (MR enterography).
  • Capsule endoscopy. For this test, you swallow a capsule that has a camera in it. The camera takes pictures of your small intestine, which are transmitted to a recorder you wear on your belt. The images are then downloaded to a computer, displayed on a monitor and checked for signs of Crohn’s disease. The camera exits your body painlessly in your stool. You may still need endoscopy with biopsy to confirm the diagnosis of Crohn’s disease.
  • Balloon-assisted enteroscopy. For this test, a scope is used in conjunction with a device called an overtube. This enables the doctor to look further into the small bowel where standard endoscopes don’t reach. This technique is useful when capsule endoscopy shows abnormalities, but the diagnosis is still in question.

 

 

QUOTE FOR THE WEEKEND:

Dec2

“Health care providers often classify ulcerative colitis according to its location being the types of ulcerative colitis the patient has. Symptoms of each type often overlap. Types of ulcerative colitis include:

  • Ulcerative proctitis. Inflammation is confined to the area closest to the anus, also called the rectum. Rectal bleeding may be the only sign of the disease.
  • Proctosigmoiditis. Inflammation involves the rectum and sigmoid colon — the lower end of the colon. Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps and pain, and an inability to move the bowels despite the urge to do so. This is called tenesmus.
  • Left-sided colitis. Inflammation extends from the rectum up through the sigmoid and descending portions of the colon. Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and pain on the left side, and urgency to defecate.
  • Pancolitis. This type often affects the entire colon and causes bouts of bloody diarrhea that may be severe, abdominal cramps and pain, fatigue, and significant weight loss.”

MAYO CLINIC (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ulcerative-colitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20353326)