Simple advice: Wash your hands

By Staff
Sept. 15, 2002
Yes, it can be as simple as washing your hands. A story in the Saturday paper should serve as a reminder that the act of washing your hands can help you avoid a number of illnesses.
We appreciate the guidance of Dr. Margaret Morrison, a health officer with the state Department of Health, who said everyone should wash their hands after using the rest room, before eating and after handling any kind of raw meat. She said regular hand washing also can help prevent the spread of hepatitis, gastrointestinal infections, respiratory infections, the common cold and even the flu.
In children, Morrison pointed out that washing hands can stop the spread of impetigo, a common skin infection among children that many times results from scratching insect bites with dirty fingernails.
Morrison said hand-washing can be particularly effective in helping us avoid the common cold and flu, two traditional wintertime ailments that not only make people feel lousy but can also be dangerous.
So, let's make a special effort to wash up.