Spread of COVID - 19 and Hand Washing: Analytical Essay

Introduction:

A handshake is a globally widespread, brief greeting or parting tradition in which two people grasp one of each other's hands. But at the same time, these handshakes serve as a vector for the transmission of pathogens from one person to other.

At the time of composing this article COVID-19 has spread all throughout the planet with basically no area left immaculate. The speed of the spread and the alarming death rates have seen numerous nations introduce measures with forestalling the spread of COVID - 19 and hand washing has received considerable attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a straightforward, essential preventive measure that the vast majority can do autonomously.

Hand washing is the scouring together of all surfaces of the hands utilizing a cleanser or substance and water. Hand washing ought to be performed subsequent to showing up busy working, prior to going home, between customer contacts, in the wake of eliminating gloves, when hands are noticeably dirty, prior to eating, after discharge of body squanders (pee and crap), after contact with body liquids, prior and then afterward performing obtrusive systems, and in the wake of taking care of defiled gear. The specific length of time needed for hand washing relies upon the conditions. A washing season of 10 to 15 seconds is prescribed to eliminate transient greenery from the hands. High-hazard regions, like nurseries, normally need around a 2-minute hand wash. Dirtied hands for the most part require additional time [1].

Nosocomial contaminations because of helpless hand cleanliness are a significant reason for expanding horribleness, mortality, and medical care costs among hospitalized patients around the world. The high predominance of these contaminations, as high as 19%, in agricultural nations, represents a test to medical care suppliers [2]. Medical services laborers' hands are the most regular kind of vehicle for transmission of medical services-related contaminations. Pathogenic microorganisms can remain for 2-an hours on medical services laborers' hands [3]. Hand washing is the least difficult and powerful measure to forestall contaminations. Nonetheless, about half of medical services-related contaminations happen because of hands of medical care suppliers (HCPs)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hand hygiene is the single most important practice in the reduction of the transmission of infection in the healthcare setting[4][2]. Despite this evidence, studies have repeatedly shown that the importance of hygiene has not been adequately recognized amongst healthcare professionals and compliance remains low [5].

Anatomy and Physiology

According to the CDC, understanding the importance of hand hygiene and its impact on the pathogenic spread of microorganisms is best understood when one understands the anatomy of the skin. The skin serves as a protective barrier against water loss, heat loss, microorganisms, and other environmental hazards.[6]

Structurally, the skin is made up of an outer, superficial layer known as the stratum corneum, the epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis. Healthy skin is colonized with resident flora which are microorganisms that reside below the stratum carenum and the skin`s surface [7]. This flora has two main functions: microbial antagonism and competing for nutrients within the ecosystem. Generally, these bacteria are not pathogenic on intact skin but may cause infections in other areas of the body such as nonimpact skin, the eyes, or sterile body cavities [7].

Transient microorganisms are often acquired by healthcare workers through direct, close contact with patients or contaminated inanimate objects or environmental surfaces. Transient flora colonizes the superficial skin layers [8]. It can be removed by routine hand washing more easily than resident flora. These organisms vary in number depending upon body location. Healthcare-associated infections are a result of these transient organisms.[9][10][11][12]

Knowledge of hand hygiene was associated with hand hygiene compliance. As a result, those who have good knowledge of HH had 6.74 times more compliance than those who have poor knowledge. This was in line with other similar studies done in Kuwait which showed that knowledge of HCPs was significantly associated with good HH compliance [15]. The possible explanation might be due to knowledge on hand hygiene compliance will help to comply with hand hygiene with recommended way, knowledge will help to identify the advantage and disadvantages of hand hygiene compliance and identify the way of HCAIs transmission and how it is prevented Hand washing with soap (HWWS) has actually been suggested by the World Health Organization as the most effective and low-cost strategy to prevent SARS CoV-2 transmission (4). A recent study reported that hand hygiene together with other protective measures such as wearing masks and avoiding the crowd have also contributed to the decrease in other respiratory infections during the COVID-19 pandemic (5). Moreover, a substantial amount of peer-reviewed literature has shown the benefits of hand hygiene to prevent many infectious diseases including gastrointestinal illnesses (6-10); trachoma and soil helminth infection (11, 12) as well as respiratory infection (6). Thus, hand hygiene practices are not only important during a pandemic, but also critical to prevent the spread of other diseases

So the objective of this study is to know how many students have knowledge regarding hand hygiene. What is their attitude towards it and how many of them practice it Medical services-related diseases are a significant hindrance to accomplishing apex medical services? With a taking off number of 37,000 passing from 4,544,100 diseases in the European Union every year, and around 2,000,000 contaminations and 100,000 passing`s yearly in the United States, these contaminations represent a genuine danger to a great many individuals overall [1]

A basic strategy for counteraction of the spread of nosocomial contaminations lies in our own hands. Hand Hygiene is a straightforward and practical technique that assumes a crucial part in controlling the episode of contamination. The absence of appropriate hand cleanliness rehearses goes about as a wellspring of the spread of normal medical services-related contaminations that might influence the urinary, respiratory, and gastrointestinal plot, just as careful locales.[2]

The meaning of hand cleanliness was revealed again in 2002 through the amended rules distributed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which suggested the utilization of the acid-based answer for imperceptible hand disinfecting and the use of cleanser and water for visible contamination.[3]

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In a study by Girou et al., acid-based hand rubs were observed to be essentially more successful than washing hands with a cleanser in decreasing bacterial contamination.[4]

The compliance of hand hygiene among healthcare workers, unfortunately, has been mediocre. According to the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, only 31% of the healthcare providers were well informed about proper hand hygiene practices. Apart from healthcare workers, medical students are also involved significantly in patient care. One might assume that medical students are aware of and compliant with these sanitation practices, yet, a study conducted during Observed Structural Clinical Examinations (OSCE) in Saudi Arabia found that hand hygiene compliance among medical students was only 17%. [5]

Elements prompting these unsuitable outcomes to incorporate a lack of awareness and knowledge. High-stress workplace, misinterpretations about hand cleanliness, and helpless practices by friends and colleagues. [6]

Pakistan is among the nations where infectious diseases are distinguished as a significant danger and the main source of patient morbidity and mortality. An investigation directed among doctors, nurses, and medical students of Allied Hospitals of Rawalpindi Medical University revealed that, despite the fact that the medical students were very much educated about hand cleanliness, just 37% of medical care experts rehearsed hand washing, while the WHO strategy of hand washing was trailed by just 19% of this 37%.[7]

In spite of the high prevalence of infections in Pakistan, information with respect to hand hygiene among healthcare workers is restricted and generally obsolete. Accordingly, we tried to lead an investigation with the essential point of discovering the recurrence of the use of acid sanitizer by emergency clinic staff in a tertiary consideration medical clinic in Karachi, Pakistan. The optional point of this investigation was to evaluate the information on medical clinic staff with respect to different parts of hand cleanliness

The COVID-19 that started in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, has now spread to 113 nations and regions outside of China.[8]

SARS-CoV-2 is a beta coronavirus that infects people and the illness presents generally with fever, hack, and dyspnea. [9]

In medical services settings, this features the need of observing respiratory cleanliness and hand hygiene and utilizing proper individual Health care services. [10]

The World Health Organization (WHO) has emphatically prescribed HCWs to request that patients should cover their nose and mouth with a tissue or elbow when hacking or sniffling, and to give masks to patients who are associated with having COVID-19, and to observe proper hand hygiene. [11]

Hand cleanliness with alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) is generally utilized all throughout the world as it is quite possibly the best, straightforward, and minimal expense methodology against h8 COVID-19 cross-transmission [12]

By denaturing proteins, alcohol inactivates enveloped viruses, including Covids, and in this manner, ABHR definitions with essentially 60% ethanol have been demonstrated effectiveh7 for hand cleanliness. [13]

HCWs should adhere to the WHO`s My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene: before touching a patient, before clean or aseptic procedures, after body fluid exposure or risk, after touching a patient, and after touching patient surroundings.[14]

The WHO rules advance a six-step strategy by applying a palm full of ABHR, covering all surfaces of the hands, and rubbing until the hands become visibly clean.