Handwashing in averting infectious diseases: Relevance to COVID-19

Main Article Content

Mainul Haque https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6124-7993

Keywords

acute respiratory tract infection, hand hygiene, decontamination, influenza, behavior change, handwashing, hygiene, community, hand sanitizer, influenza infection, influenza transmission, acute gastroenteritis, children, health education, respiratory illness, low- and middle-income countries

Abstract

After officially declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), drastic measures to restrict human movements to contain the COVID-19 infection are employed by most of the countries. Maintaining high personal hygiene by frequent handwashing and be vigilant of clinical signs are widely recommended to reduce the disease burden. The national and international health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the WHO, have provided guidelines for prevention and treatment suggestions. Here, in this brief article, based on available clinical information, the author discusses why handwashing could be protective of COVID-19 infections. Although a detailed and in-depth discussion of various preventive and protective measures is beyond the scope of this article, this review will focus on the utility of frequent handwashing in minimizing the risk of spreading COVID-19 infection.
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