Hand Washing Hygiene Research Articles

Knowledge and attitudes of caregivers, promoting the importance of hand washing for the prevention of diarrhea in children under five years of age

The purpose of the study was to establish a prevention program aimed at modifying the knowledge and attitudes of caregivers, promoting the importance of handwashing for the prevention of diarrhea in children under five years of age in the township of Belisario Porras, District of San Miguelito, and thus validate a prevention program aimed at modifying the knowledge and attitudes of caregivers promoting the importance of handwashing. It is a quantitative correlational descriptive research with a quasi-experimental research design, field type. As for the population, it consisted of 30 families in the "Asentamiento La Victoria", district of Belisario Porras, District of San Miguelito, and the sample corresponded to the number of 16 caregivers belonging to 10 families living in the mentioned place, therefore, the type of sample is non-probabilistic and intentional. The data collection technique was through a survey, with the instrumental support of a questionnaire. Based on this premise, it was concluded that diarrheal disease is one of the main causes of malnutrition in children under five years of age. In addition to mentioning that it is the second cause of death in this age group, where unfortunately, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the causal factor is mainly due to the lack of hygiene in food handling; in this sense, part of the respondents are aware of the prevention measures in cases of diarrhea; However, this is unfounded, because in practice, hand washing hygiene is not carried out in a responsible and adequate manner, and this is the main cause of food contamination and of causing diarrhea in children under five years of age.

Good Communication Supports Pre-School Children's Ability and Its Application to Personal Hygiene Hand Washing in Kindergarten

Infectious diseases in pre-school children are prone to occur because their growth and development age is in the pre-adolescent age range or pre-school age where this age requires more space for wider movement such as schools, large fields. Hand washing is one of the knowledge that needs to be applied correctly by school-age children to maintain hand hygiene. This knowledge apart from home needs to be emphasised from the teacher at the child's school. Children's dominant activities at school make school one of the places expected to provide knowledge about proper hand hygiene. This research is a quantitative study with an analytical descriptive approach and design and method used is aquasi experiment with a pre and post without control group design approach. This study is to measure the effect of good communication on the ability of pre-school children to wash their hands. Data was collected by video recording children while washing their hands before and after the communication intervention. Bivariate data analysis using non-parametric test with Wilcoxon test because the data distribution is not normal. The results showed 40 respondents z count value of -4.465 with a p-value of (0.000) < α (0.05, this indicates that there is a significant influence between the ability of children to wash their hands before the pretest before the treatment of good communication about hand washing on the posttest after the application of good communication treatment about hand washing. It can be concluded that there is an effect of good communication on the ability of pre-school children to wash their hands.

Impact of an educational intervention on hand hygiene practice among nursing students, with a focus on hand drying efficacy.

Hand hygiene and its significance for reducing the spread of infection is well evidenced and has been brought into sharp focus following the COVID-19 pandemic. Although a crucial clinical skill in ensuring safe healthcare, little is known regarding nursing students' effectiveness of hand hygiene practice. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of an educational intervention on hand hygiene practice, designed by the research team for first year pre-registration nursing students. Particular emphasis was placed upon hand drying technique and time. 825 nursing students were observed and assessed for their hand hygiene practice in a clinical suite at a university setting. Nursing students were observed for compliance against set outcome measures involving hand hygiene preparation, hand and wrist washing technique, hand drying technique and time. Data were analysed quantitatively using SPSS. The educational intervention had a significant impact on the clinical skills learning of nursing students. 779 students passed the assessment at the first attempt (94.4%). Of the 46 students that failed to meet the necessary criteria, 45 satisfied the criteria at the second attempt; giving an overall optimal compliance of 99.9%. 99.6% of students complied with recommended hand drying standards. This study offers an important contribution to the development and delivery of nursing education programmes. The educational intervention improved compliance with recommended hand hygiene technique and practice. Lack of attention to hand drying may negate effective hand hygiene in healthcare.

IMPLEMENTASI SISTEM PENGENDALI WASTAFEL CUCI TANGAN BERBASIS IoT MENGGUNAKAN PLATFORM BLNYK

The enhancement of cleanliness and sanitation has become a paramount concern in modern society, particularly in the face of a global pandemic. In this context, this research proposes and implements an Internet of Things (IoT)-based handwashing sink control system using the BLNYK platform, ESP8266 module, infrared proximity sensor E-18-DNK, solenoid valve DC 12V, and LM259 stepdown. The system is designed to provide an efficient and hygienic handwashing experience. The ESP8266 module serves as the central brain connected to the BLNYK platform, enabling users to remotely access and control the sink via mobile devices or computers. The infrared proximity sensor E-18-DNK detects the presence of user hands, triggering the solenoid valve DC 12V to automatically dispense water. Additionally, the LM259 stepdown is utilized to regulate voltage and optimize power consumption, making the system energy-efficient. Sink usage data and usage statistics can be accessed through the BLNYK platform, facilitating efficient monitoring and analysis. Test results demonstrate the system's reliability in accurately detecting hands and providing a swift response in opening the solenoid valve. Furthermore, the implementation of the LM259 stepdown successfully optimizes the power consumption of the system, making it an energy-efficient solution. Thus, this system can serve as a model for further development in creating IoT-based intelligent solutions to enhance cleanliness and sanitation in various environments, including households, public spaces, and healthcare facilities.

A Nurse-Led Education Program to Improve COVID-19 Prevention Knowledge Among Adolescent Students.

Adolescents are more susceptible than originally thought to COVID-19, and they could play a significant role in community transmission. We aim to evaluate a health education program on students' declarative knowledge and risk awareness concerning COVID-19-related public health recommendations. A quasi-experimental pre-post pilot study was conducted. A number of 487 students aged between 12 and 17 years old participated in an educational program. Following Socratic Method, preventive actions were simulated in order to encourage students to seek answers about the correct application of measures. The program covered 3 prevention areas: (1) practice hygienic handwashing; (2) instruction on the appropriate use of masks; and (3) promotion of physical distancing, and was implemented in class by 3 registered nurses. Following the educational program, declarative knowledge regarding handwashing and mask use improved along with the students' total score. In the pre-test, students 16 years and older as well as female students obtained higher scores in declarative knowledge. Age-dependent differences between groups vanished in the post-test, but girls still achieved better scores. This nurse-led health education program proved to be effective to enhance declarative knowledge about COVID-19-related public health recommendations.

Prevalence and factors associated with malaria, typhoid, and co-infection among febrile children aged six months to twelve years at kampala international university teaching hospital in western Uganda

BackgroundPaediatric febrile illnesses pose diagnostic challenges in low-income countries. Western Uganda is endemic for both malaria and typhoid but the true prevalence of each individual disease, their co-infections and associated factors are poorly quantified. ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of malaria, typhoid, their co-infection, and associated factors amongst febrile children attending the paediatrics and child health department of Kampala International University Teaching Hospital (KIU-TH) in Western Uganda. MethodsCross-sectional study used a survey questionnaire covering demographics, clinical and behavioural variables. We obtained blood for peripheral films for malaria and cultures for typhoid respectively; from 108 consecutively consented participants. Ethical approval was obtained from KIU-TH research and ethics committee (No. UG-REC-023/201,834). Multivariate regression analysis was performed using Stata 14.0 (StataCorp. 2015) at 95% confidence interval, regarding p < 0.05 as statistically significant. ResultsMajority of participants were males 62% (n = 67), cared for by their mothers 86.1% (n = 93). The prevalence of malaria was 25% (n = 27). The prevalence of typhoid was 3.7% (n = 4), whereas the prevalence of malaria-typhoid co-infection was 2.8% (n = 3). Using treated water from protected public taps was associated with low malaria-typhoid co-infection [p = 0.04; aOR = 0.05, 95%CI [0.003–0.87], whereas drinking unboiled water from open wells increased the risk for the co-infection [p = 0.037, cOR = 17, 95%CI (1.19–243.25)]. ConclusionsThe prevalence of blood culture confirmed malaria-typhoid co-infection in children was lower than previously reported in serological studies. These findings emphasize the need to use gold standard diagnostic investigations in epidemiological studies. Educational campaigns should focus on the use of safe water, hygienic hand washing, and proper waste disposal; and should target mothers who mainly take care of these children.

Re-emergence of canine influenza in the United States of America; a call for One Health approach; a letter to the editor

Re-emergence of canine influenza in the United States of America; a call for One Health approach; a letter to the editor

RELATIONSHIP OF PERSONAL HYGIENE AND SANITARY HYGIENE CONDITIONS WITH SOIL TRANSMITTED HELMINTS (STH) WORM INFECTIONS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

Helminths can attack all age groups and genders. Helminths can cause a decrease in health conditions, intelligence, productivity, and the quality of human resources, resulting in economic losses due to loss of carbohydrates, protein, blood, and can reduce body resistance so that it is easy to get other diseases. This research uses quantitative research type. The population in this study were elementary school children in SDN Dukuh Kupang V Surabaya with the number of 50 children. This study uses a sampling technique in the form of total sampling. The data collected in this study include primary data and secondary data where the primary data is in the form of STH worm infection data obtained from the direct method of examination of respondents' feces. Secondary data in the form of hygiene and sanitation obtained through questionnaires. The data that has been obtained is then analyzed and looked for correlation using the product moment test. Based on the results of the study and after a series of analyzes and discussion of the results of the examination of the 50 samples examined, 32% (16 people) had positive results while the rest were negative, it was concluded that there was a significant relationship between environmental sanitation and personal hygiene (hand washing habits, nail hygiene, and use of footwear) with Soil Transmitted Helminths (STH) infection in primary school children. So it is expected to always wash hands with water and soap so that it is more effective in removing dirt and dust mechanically from the skin surface and significantly reduces the number of disease-causing microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, and other parasites on both hands on the skin surface, nails, and fingers.

THE INFLUENCE OF PERSONAL HYGIENE PUZZLE MEDIA WASHING HANDS WITH SOAP ON STUDENTS' KNOWLEDGE OF SDN 6 PARAKAN KAUMAN TEMANGGUNG

Background : Diarrhea is still a global problem today and is still a serious concern from various countries. This was reported in the World Health Organization (WHO) which describes cases of diarrhea in the world in 2017 stating that there are nearly 1.7 billion cases of diarrheal disease that occur in children with 525,000 deaths every year worldwide. The occurrence of diarrhea will cause children to lose the nutrients that children need for growth and development, so diarrhea is the main cause of malnutrition in school-age children. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that washing hands with soap can reduce diarrhea rates by up to 47%.&#x0D; Purpose : Analyzing the effect of personal hygiene puzzle media washing hands with soap on students' knowledge of SDN 6 Parakan Kauman Temanggung&#x0D; Research Method: Pre-experimental design with one group pre-post test. The sampling technique used total sampling, namely 29 students at SDN 6 Parakan. Data analysis with Wilcoxon test&#x0D; Research result : The majority of respondents' knowledge before being given puzzle media was in the good category, namely 15 (51.7%) respondents, while after giving puzzle media, the majority were good, namely 22 (75.9%) respondents. The results of the Wilcoxon test found a p value of 0.000 &lt;0.05 meaning that there was an effect of giving hand washing personal hygiene puzzle media with knowledge to elementary school students in Temanggung&#x0D; Conclusions and recommendations : Giving puzzle media can affect students' knowledge about personal hygiene hand washing. It is hoped that the hand washing puzzle media can be used as a medium in increasing student knowledge

Hand Hygiene by Ward Staff at Dapaong Regional Hospital in Togo

Introduction: Hand hygiene (HH) is an effective way to fight infections in healthcare settings. The general purpose of our study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes and practices of health care providers on HH at Dapaong regional hospital (DRH). Methodology: This was a prospective, descriptive cross-sectional study conducted from March to June 2022 in the DRH wards. Data were collected using a questionnaire and observation grid. Results: 90 care providers were surveyed. Males and non-physician personnel predominated with 57.8%, and 94.4% respectively. The survey on staff’s knowledge reported: 31.1% of practitioners did not wash their hands on arrival and departure in services. 24% did not know the difference between simple hand washing (SHW) and hygienic hand washing (HHW). 23.3% did not know the type of soap to use for HHW. The caregivers did not know the type of hand washing (HW) required after a septic and non-septic procedure in respectively 41.6%, and 37.8%. They did not know that there are two types of hand antiseptics (45.4%), nor the amount of antiseptic for HW (78.9%). The survey on staff’s attitude regarding HW found that: 70% did not remove all jewels prior HW, and 51.1% did not know that wearing gloves cannot replace the HW. For HW Staff Practice: 62.2% did not wash their hands before treatment. 91.1% did not spread the soap on their hands and forearms after wetting them. 65.55% did not rinse hands from nails to elbows. Conclusion: The HH was poorly known, the attitude of the staff was dangerous in relation to the HH and the practice of HH was very inadequate at the RHC-Dapaong. As a result, there is a need to retrain staff to increase their capacity to prevent care-related infections and enhance patient safety in the hospital.

The Impact of the Sars-Cov-2 Pandemic on Women during Pregnancy, Childbirth and After Childbirth

The pregnancy is monitored through perinatal protection of pregnant women, which is divided into antenatal, partum, and postpartum care. Antenatal care includes monitoring of the mother and fetus through physical and gynecological examinations, ultrasound examinations, cardiotocography, laboratory findings, and more. Pregnant women together with their partners attend pregnancy courses for education and the possibility of having an escort during the birth. At the end of 2019, a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus appeared in China. Measures such as physical distancing, hygienic hand washing, disinfection of hands and surfaces, and self-isolation are introduced to prevent infection. Due to the existing measures, the monitoring of pregnant women and midwives has changed. The number of doctor's appointments has been reduced, some countries are introducing bans on accompanying people during childbirth, depending on the epidemiological situation in the country. During July and August 2021, an online survey was conducted with the aim of gaining insight into the impact of the pandemic on pregnant women and midwives. A total of 253 participants who gave birth during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic took part in the research. The results have been shown that a small number of women (29.25%) were infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and were most often infected during pregnancy. Regardless of the protection measures present, 95.26% of women went for regular check-ups with a doctor during pregnancy, and only 19.76% of women had to do a PCR test before the check-up (UZV, CTG, gynecological check-up or before delivery). The results showed that 61.26% of the participants did not attend a pregnancy course, which we can relate to the results that 80.63% of the participants did not have a companion during childbirth. Face masks (surgical, cloth) made breathing difficult for women and limited communication with other people (76.28%), and in 69.17% of women negative feelings were caused by daily information about the disease COVID-19.

Possible transmission of COVID-19 epidemic by a dog as a passive mechanical carrier of SARS-CoV-2, Chongqing, China, 2022.

An outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was reported in Yongchuan district of Chongqing, China in March 2022, while the source was unknown. We aimed to investigate the origin and transmission route of the virus in the outbreak. We conducted field investigations for all cases and collected their epidemiological and clinical data. We performed gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis for the cases, and draw the epidemic curve and the case relationship chart to analyze interactions and possible transmission mode of the outbreak. A total of 11 cases of COVID-19, including 5 patients and 6 asymptomatic cases were laboratory-confirmed in the outbreak. The branch of the virus was Omicron BA.2 which was introduced into Yongchuan district by a traveler in early March. Patient F and asymptomatic case G had never contact with other positive-infected individuals, but close contact with their pet dog that sniffed the discarded cigarette butts and stepped on the sputum of patient B. Laboratory test results showed that the dog hair and kennel were positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and the 10 isolates were highly homologous to an epidemic strain in a province of China. The investigation suggested that the contaminated dog by SARS-CoV-2 can act as a passive mechanical carrier of the virus and might transmit the virus to humans through close contact. Our findings suggest that during the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing hygiene measures and hand washing after close contact with pets is essential to minimize the risk of community spread of the virus.

Creating Portable Hygiene Hand Washer Stations as an Effort to Prevent COVID-19 Transmission

Currently, there is an outbreak of a new infectious disease in Indonesia, namely coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This disease is spread quickly through close contact and droplets expelled when coughing, sneezing, talking, or contacting contaminated surfaces. Some effective methods include always wearing a mask outside the house, maintaining a distance of at least 2 meters when interacting with people, and diligently washing hands with soap for at least 20 seconds. The community service program aimed to make portable and hygienic handwashing stations as a form of participation in preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the community. The station is easy to move, and users do not need totouch the faucet and soap dispenser. The user only needs to step on the foot pedal to open the faucet and soap dispenser. Viruses, bacteria, or germs can stick to the handle, and the touchless faucet will minimize contact. This station is expected to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. This community service program was carried out in Gunungkidul Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta and supported by partners such as, Nglipar I, Ponjong, Tepus 1 and 2, Patuk 1 and 2, Semin 2, Panggang 1 dan 2, Gedangsari 2, and Girisubo Community Health Center. The distribution of the station ran smoothly, and it could be used properly. The Community Health Centers were helped with this program.

Personal Hygiene Skills are Not Related to Infections in School-Age Children

Introduction: The incidence of infection in school-age children can be caused by the negligence of children in carrying out personal hygiene, namely washing hands and due to contact with individuals who have been infected with pathogens. Infectious diseases that often suffer are upper respiratory infection, diarrhea, and intestinal worms with symptoms of fever. Preventive efforts that can be done by children are personal hygiene (washing hands). Prevention of infection in children is done by teaching school-age children to wash their hands properly. The objective of this study was to analyze personal hygiene skills (hand washing) with the incidence of infection in children.&#x0D; Methods: The method in this study was a pre-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. The samples were 20 respondents of school-age children. Differences in pretest-posttest personal hygiene skills (hand washing).&#x0D; Results: The results are based on data collected from 20 subjects, the results of the pretest-posttest personal hygiene skills (hand washing) in the Wilcoxon test, there was a significant difference, namely (p = 0.541).&#x0D; Conclusion: There was no correlation between personal hygiene (hand washing) and the incidence of infection.

Level of nurses’ knowledge concerning prevention of hospital-acquired infections in surgical wards

Introduction. Prevention of hospital-acquired infections in surgical wards is associated with a high level of nurses’ knowledge and skills in the area of the observance of procedures, standards of prevention of infections, use of personal protection means, and isolation of patients infected with the alert pathogen. Objective. The aim of the study was recognition of the level of knowledge concerning prevention of hospital-acquired infections among nursing staff in surgical wards. Materials and Method. The study was conducted in 2021, and included 115 nurses employed in hospital wards in two hospitals. The research method was a diagnostic survey, the technique – a questionnaire, and the research tool – an author-constructed questionnaire. Results. The majority of the examined nurses (68.0%) presented a ‘mediocre’ level of knowledge concerning hospital-acquired infections, while 38.9% - a ‘low’ level. More than a half of the respondents (60.0%) knew the purpose for hygienic handwashing. Approximately ¾ of respondents knew that there is no necessity for using sterile gloves during procedures related with the risk of contact with blood or body fluids. The majority of nurses in the study (62.5%) had a deficit of knowledge about transient flora inhabiting the skin, and 1/3 of respondents had no established principles of observance of personal protection means. More than a half of nurses (65.2%) did not know the objective of isolation of patients infected with an alert pathogen. Nearly a half of respondents (47.8%) knew that standard isolation is applied in each patient, irrespective of the previous medical history taking. Almost 2/3 of respondents (64.3%) knew that isolations applied in infections transmitted through contact, by airborne-droplet and airborne-dust routes are the types of above-standard isolation. Conclusions. The results of the study confirm the need for expanding the scope of knowledge about prevention of hospital-acquired infections, the time of hygienic and surgical handwashing, as well as the principles of using personal protection means. The nurses presented a deficit of knowledge concerning transient flora of pathogenic microorganisms inhabiting the surface of the hands, and the principles of using personal protection means. Nurses require the expansion of the scope of knowledge about the goal and principles of standard and above-standard isolation of patients infected with alert pathogen.

Hand washing hygiene, sanitation and sustainable development goals in Umuahia North Local Government Area, Abia State, Nigeria

study on practices of hand washing hygiene, sanitation and sustainable development goals (SDGs), was carried out in Umuahia North local government area of Abia state, Nigeria, to investigate the causes of outbreaks of health care-care associated infections (HCAIs). Questionnaires made up of 25 attributes were distributed to health care workers (HCWs) to elicit from them their perception of these practices in their units. Complete responses came from 63 respondents which represented 79.75% of questionnaires distributed. The 5-point Likert scale was used in measuring the relative impact indices (RIIs) of not observing health care rules. About 42 of the respondents (66.67%) fall within the low region of RII, 19 respondents (30.10%) belong to the moderate region of RII, while 2 respondents (3.33%) fall in high region of RII. Information from 96.77% of the respondents indicated that hand washing hygiene and sanitation is poorly practiced. Rank ordering of relative observance indices (ROIs) showed that of the 25 attributes used in the study, 16 fall in the principal negative variables (Type 3), 5 of the attributes fall in the moderately negative variables (Type 2), while 4 fall in the relatively acceptable variables (Type 1), evidencing that 84% of the attributes are poorly practiced by HCWs. This situation impacted on the achievement of SDG3 and SDG6. It is concluded that these are the reasons for outbreaks in the area and it is recommended that government should educate HCWs on the observed risk factors for poor adherence to recommended hand hygiene practices.

A Study to Assess the Problems of Prolonged Use of Mask During Covid Pandemic Among the General Public Residing in Lawspet Area at Puducherry

A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted to assess the problems of prolonged use of mask during covid pandemic among general public. The objectives of the study was to assess the problems of prolonged use of mask during covid pandemic among the general public and to find out association between the problems of prolonged use of mask during covid pandemic with selected demographic variable. The researcher developed self-administered open ended questionnaire to assess the problems of prolonged use of mask during covid pandemic among 300 public residing in lawspet area at Puducherry by using purposive sampling technique. The major findings was, regarding the demographic variables out of 300 general public 156(52%) were in age group 18-29 years, half of the public was female 198(66%), half of the public were married162(54%), 138(46%) of the public were completed under graduate(UG) level of education, half of the public were hindus168(56%), half of the public were lived in urban area 156(52%), half of the public were monthly income Rs.5000-10000 150(50%), 126(42%) of the public were company worker, 168(56%) of the public were in nuclear family, 138(46%) of the public got information from social media, 102(34%) of the public were affected in covid 19 respectively. Out of 300 public all of them were using mask 300(100%), half of the public were used surgical mask (three layered mask) 156(52%), 108(36%) of the public were used the same mask at only one time, 234(78%) of the public was not washed the single use disposable mask, 134(44%) of the public were told not wearing the N95 mask is cost effective, 120(40%) of the public were faced problems while wearing face mask was sweating, 198(66%) of the public were told no adverse reactions after using mask, 102(34%) of the public were told 4 hours was tolerable hours of wearing mask, most of the public were told correct way to wear mask was covering mouth and nose 228(76%), 144(48%) were 2 times changed the mask for full day. In association between the problems of prolonged use of mask with selected demographic variables. There is a significant(p&lt;0.005) association between problems of prolonged use of mask during covid pandemic with selected demographic variables as religion. Then the researcher created awareness to all public regarding importance of mask, motivated to do proper hygienic measures life hand washing techniques and taught about criteria for use mask to promote the health from covid pandemic to endemic.

Role of Social Distancing, Hand Hygiene and Wearing Mask in Controlling COVID-19 Pandemic: A review

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) continues to spread all over world and is outpacing the resources and capacity of health care systems. This rapidly spreading COVID-19 infection is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and has been challenging the medical community and keeping the whole world in great threat to an unprecedented degree. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this review article is to describe details of social distancing, hand hygiene and wearing face masks including there role in controlling the current COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: We conducted an electronic search of Google Scholar, Scopus, Medline and PubMed databases for articles between June to September 2021. RESULTS: The novel SARS-CoV-2 virus is transmitted from person to person by respiratory droplets or contact with an infected person. There are no established medications and vaccine available until now to restrain the transmission of the COVID-19 infection. Currently, social distancing, hand hygiene and wearing a mask are key steps to lower the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in COVID-19 pandemic. As this infection is highly contagious via a respiratory pathway through coughing, sneezing and contact with an infected surface, the spread can be reduced by the proper practice of social distancing, hand hygiene or frequent hand washing and wearing mask. These universal precautions should be done as COVID-19 patients may be asymptomatic. CONCLUSION: Social distancing, hand washing and wearing face masks are cheap and widely acceptable methods for the prevention of the COVID-19 infection. The goal of this review paper is to discuss social distancing, hand hygiene and face mask information, including its role in managing the current COVID-19 pandemic

Side effects of COVID-19 vaccines: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol of randomised trials

IntroductionSARS-CoV-2 is responsible for a large number of global COVID-19 cases. Strategies such as social isolation, personal hygiene and frequent hand washing have been implemented; however, a protective vaccine is...

Assessment of the effect of hand dryers used in shopping malls on hand hygiene

BackgroundHand drying is one of the most important factors affect hand hygiene. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of hand dryers used in the restrooms located on the food court floors in shopping malls in Turkey on hand hygiene. MethodsHands were washed for at least 20 seconds by following hygienic hand washing procedures of the World Health Organization. Swab samples were taken from the wet hands after hand washing, then from the dry hands, which were dried under the hand dryers and from the air blowing part of the hand dryers. Samples were cultured on agar plates that were directly exposed to the air-blowing part of the hand dryers. ResultsIt was found that total coliform bacteria were 0.000 colony-forming unit (CFU)/petri in wet and dried hand, 3.437 CFU/petri in blown air and 5.250 CFU/petri in swab samples. Staphylococcus aureus was found to be 0.125, 64.125, 26.375, and 388.750 CFU/petri, respectively. Total bacteria count was found to be 0.687, 48.750, 35.625, and 595.000 CFU/petri, respectively. S. aureus and the total bacterial load were higher in the blower outlet of the hand dryers than washed hand, blown air and dried hand (P < .05). The bacteria count in the unfiltered hand dryers was higher than that in the filtered hand dryers (P < .05). ConclusionsUsing hand dryers would negatively affect hand hygiene even if hands were washed following hygienic hand washing procedures.