Proper hand washing Experts say it was able to save a million lives a year, but many do it inappropriately because of the misconceptions surrounding customs.
Your doctor recommends washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds Infectious diseases.
The NFID 2025 State of Handwashing Report was recently published by the National Infectious Diseases Foundation and provides details on American handwashing habits (and mistakes).
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The report is based on a survey of 3,587 US adults conducted in November, December 2024 and March 2025.
Robert Hopkins Jr., medical director for NFID in Maryland, spoke to Fox News Digital about what Americans are doing wrong when it comes to hand washing.
1. Use only hand sanitizer
“We must recognize that there are a lot of important infectious diseases that handheld drugs are not effective in preventing,” Hopkins said.
According to experts, proper hand washing can save 1 million lives a year. (istock)
One example is the highly contagious norovirus Viral abdominal pain It is common on cruise ships and spreads seasonally.
According to Hopkins, the virus cannot be killed with hand-drugs, but it is “easy to destroy” with soap and water.
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Specific viruses It is “encapsulated” and can be destroyed with either soap and water or hand sanitizer, experts said. However, there are also “unencapsulated” viruses. This has an outer coat that won’t break from the disinfectant on your hands.
Using soap and water is a more effective way to kill bacteria, doctors pointed out.
2. I just cough on my sleeve
People are Coughing and sneezing Within their sleeves, they could still spread the bacteria afterwards.
“If you cough on your sleeve… go ahead and wash your hands with soap and water,” advised Hopkins.
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“We also have to recognize that we often bring our hands close to our faces and touch our noses, glasses and other parts of our face,” said the Arkansas-based doctor.
“If we have Bacteria or virus With our hands, we can introduce them into the mucosa. There you can get an infection. ”
Almost half of survey respondents admitted that they forgot or chose not to wash their hands at critical times. (istock)
3. Washing more hands during certain seasons
The NFID report said one in four respondents washed their hands more frequently in the fall and winter. Cold flu It’s common.
“Seasonal dispersion can be understood given that some respiratory diseases, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), tend to peak in autumn and winter,” the report states.
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“But other bacteria, such as those that cause colds, noroviruses and other infectious diseases, can spread throughout the year. Stay healthy. ”
4. Do not wash your hands at important times
According to NFID reports, most adults wash their hands after handling bathrooms (69%), food handling (48%), and human or animal waste (39%).
“We need to strengthen the importance of this simple tool.”
However, only 30% of respondents reported that they were more likely to wash their hands after sneezing or coughing.
Almost half of survey respondents admitted that they forgot or chose not to wash their hands at important times, as they did after visiting grocery stores, restaurants, doctors, pharmacies, clinics and hospitals.
“I think most of the public health campaigns on hand hygiene are focused on the healthcare environment,” the doctor said. (istock)
“We need to reinforce the importance of this simple tool,” Hopkins said of hand washing.
“I think most of the public health campaigns on hand hygiene are focused. Healthcare settingsHe added.
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Regarding hand washing as a general practice, Hopkins emphasized, “We need to return this to fold.”
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“If everyone washes their hands more consistently, they can save something close to one million lives a year,” he said.
