Diarrhoea and the Importance of Hand Hygiene

Diarrhoea can be defined as unpleasant and uncomfortable frequent, runny, or watery bowel movements and is usually brought on by a gastrointestinal or stomach infection. This is usually caused by a bacteria, virus, or parasite. Diarrhoeal infections can be spread through dirty hands, contaminated food, or water, as well as through direct contact with faecal matter. This type of infection is highly contagious, which means all those around you can catch them.

Symptoms of the infections that bring about diarrhoea can include:

• Dehydration
• Loss of appetite
• Vomiting
• Fever
• Nausea
• Weight loss
• Frequent runny or water bowel movements
• Stomach cramps

When a person gets diarrhoea, the body begins to lose water and electrolytes, both of which are necessary for life. If these are not replaced fast, the body becomes dehydrated. Severe dehydration can even lead to death, especially in infants and young children. It is estimated that two billion cases of diarrhoea occur globally each year, and around two million children under the age of five die from it annually in developing countries.

Adopting good hand hygiene habits, such as regularly washing your hands with soap, especially before eating and after using the bathroom, can go a long way towards preventing this dreaded ailment.

Ensure your drinking water is clean

Don’t drink water if you think it may be unsafe. Just to be sure, boil it for a minute before you drink or cook with it.

Make sure that you and your loved ones wash your hands regularly with Lifebuoy’s liquid hand wash, or one of the many other bar soaps in the Lifebuoy range. This is a sure way to protect against germs.

Regular handwashing with soap removes germs from hands and this helps prevent infections for the following reasons:

• People frequently touch their eyes, nose, and mouth without even realising it. Germs can get into the body through the eyes, nose and mouth and make us sick.
• Germs from unwashed hands can get into foods and drinks while being prepared. Germs can multiply in some types of foods or drinks, under certain conditions, and make people sick.
• Germs from unwashed hands can be transferred to other objects, like handrails, table-tops, or toys, and then transferred to another person.

Washing hands with soap removes germs far more effectively than just water because the products in soap lift the dirt and germs from the skin. Remember to always wet hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap. Lifebuoy’s range of hygiene bar soaps offers fresh, clean hands and protection from germs, while being gentle on your skin.

Although soap and water are the first line of defence when washing your hands, if you do not have access to these, then use a sanitizer with at least a 60% alcohol content. Lifebuoy has a range of hand sanitizers which protects you against 99.99% of all germs..