Keeping good hygiene is a part of daily life many humans retain. Teeth cleaning and taking showers are things many people do every night to keep themselves happy. Washing our hands is no exception to keeping good health, as well as how helpful it is towards our well being. How is it that one little but easy to do task can become a major problem to other people’s health?
Washing our hands is the first thing we do when finished using the restroom. A good 20 seconds of rinsing and washing and that person is good to go. However, I have noticed a pattern when using the restroom at Leesville. Some students at Leesville decide to completely skip the trip to the sink, and continue on.
Not only is this a questionable decision for that specific person’s health and well being, it also creates a domino effect of illness to others around that person. Considering how much we use our hands in the classroom, if they aren’t cleaned, it makes sense as to why sickness in the school pops up quick.
Just about 1 out of every 3 times I am using the restroom at the same time as multiple people, there is at the least one person who does their business and sidesteps the sink. Especially since how close flu season is, washing hands are a high priority to avoid illness. Yet, the amount of people that come down with the flu every year at Leesville still is at a high.
According to the CDC, many diseases are spread to others when hands are not kept clean. “Keeping hands clean is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others,” the website states.
The big question is, why don’t all students at Leesville take the time to turn on the water and rinse soap through their hands? Most of the time, as I notice those same people walking out, they act in two different ways.
One way is they seem to cover ground quickly, looking hurried and in a rush to get out of the restroom. Though it is understandable in order to get to class on time, a simple quick rinse of soap and water helps.
The other way they walk out is looking like they are immune to disease. Their body language shows they don’t care much about hand washing, which can be detrimental to their health. Again, simple hand sanitizers and a quick rinse can make a big difference opposed to not washing at all.
Illness is a problem at Leesville, and the influenza season is the most popular time of year students get infected. Most of the time, the way the flu is spread can easily be avoided and prevented. The most common cause of spreading? You guessed it. Not enough handwashing in the school.
Hand washing may seem like a little thing that is not required to stay healthy in life, but it is the complete opposite. The effects have a result that become damaging to not only the person, but to their peers.
Germs are everywhere in the world. Luckily for most humans, their immune systems are strong enough to immediately destroy most germs that enter the body. Hand washing is part of the first line of defense in the body, which is key to avoid illness.
These germs are easily spread through contact on surfaces in which multiple people use. Thus, when touched, the surface gives off the germs to the person, and the person can then easily become sick. Hand washing plays a key part in halting the spread of the germs.
According to the Mayo Clinic, hand washing should be frequent in everyday activity. Using soap (liquid, solid, or powder) and water, hands should be washed after using the restroom, preparing food, whenever hands look dirty, etc, etc. The higher the frequency of hand washing for an individual, the less of a chance illnesses will come about.
At Leesville, hand washing is definitely more critical than ever. Besides the influenza season right around the corner, clean hands are a part of good hygiene, which in turn results in good health for the individual. Peers also don’t become deterred by the spread of germs, and illness rates inside of Leesville can be toned down.
It is up to us, Leesville students, to help keep ourselves healthy, one individual at a time. Handwashing is the best way to start, and a good way to keep Leesville clean.
