The kids are back in school and so are the Nanobugs

When we bring large numbers of people together in the same place -like a school- and they spend the day together - each contributing their own nanobugs - the environment can get overloaded with microbes - some pathogenic (disease-producing) and many non-pathogenic.  Now, don't get paranoid - nanobugs are an important part of our internal and external environment.  Bacteria are found not only in and on people but in all living creatures and they also live and thrive in water and on the earth.  In fact, a teaspoon of rich fertile soil contains over one hundred million bacteria! Do you suppose there is a teaspoon of dirt dispersed over a kid who has been playing hard outside?  Probably not; but keeping children clean is important for their health.   I'm not suggesting that we try to create a sterile environment for them - just knock the bacterial count down from time to time (preferably daily).  

Hand hygiene is the best way to prevent infections and keep the nanobugs under control. You have to teach and consistently remind children about hand hygiene and role model good technique.  As soon as children arrive home from school they should be sent to the bathroom to wash their hands.  (And parents should wash when they get home from work, too).  Hand hygiene must be done often and correctly.  Here's the procedure:

Hand Washing with Soap and Water:

• Wet your hands with warm, running water and then apply liquid soap, or use a clean bar of soap and lather well. (...more about soap later...)
• Rub your hands together vigorously for at least 15 seconds (slowly sing the Happy Birthday song to estimate the time needed to scrub) lathering all surfaces, including the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers and under your fingernails.
• Rinse well from wrists down to fingertips.  Don't shake and flip water around after rinsing - this seems to be a natural response much like a dog shaking from head to toes when it gets wet. Resist the temptation.
• Dry your hands with a clean towel. In a public restroom, leave the water running while you dry your hands with a paper towel and then use the towel to turn off the faucet.  (Faucet handles are often heavily contaminated in public restrooms so you don't want to touch them again  with your clean hands)

Hand hygiene can also be accomplished with an alcohol-based liquid, gel or foam if your hands are not visibly dirty. (If they are, use soap and water wash instead)

• Apply the hand sanitizer to the palm of your hand and rub your hands together, covering all surfaces of your hands, until they are dry.

(Clorox has a new spray hand sanitizer that is easy to use.)

It is best to bathe or shower at night before sleeping.  And no pets in the bed with sleeping children - unconsciously sharing microbes like staph and strep and contributing to the microbial count of the bed environment where they spend 8+ hours.

And a word about soap.... guess I'll save that for tomorrow........now it is time for my bedtime bath.

This entry was posted on August 21st, 2007 at 9:15 am. RSS | Back to Blog Homepage.

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