Port Douglas and Mossman residents told to lather up
HEALTH
AS PORT Douglas and Mossman residents recover from a record flu season, research has revealed a worrying lack of hand hygiene in Queensland.
A national study has found that approximately a third of Queenslanders fail to wash their hands after sneezing, coughing or blowing their nose, thus risking the spread of germs amongst family, friends and co-workers.
Also worrying was that 44 per cent fail to wash their hands after handling money. It’s why Douglas Shire residents, especially children, are being urged to consider their hand hygiene.
“It is important that Port Douglas and Mossman children learn proper handwashing and hand hygiene habits at a young age,” said Kate Hickey, the Palmolive Clean Hands Good Health ambassador.
“Good hand hygiene habits are carried throughout their lives.
“While most of us wash our hands every day, many aren’t practicing hand hygiene properly or enough due to time-constraints or lack of insight as to when, where and how they should be doing so.”
While it is recommended that individuals wash their hands for 20 seconds with soap, 75 per cent of the state are washing their hands for 15 seconds or less. Furthermore, approximately a quarter of Queenslanders say they don’t wash their hands every-time after using the toilet.
Hickey said the topic of handwashing will come to the forefront of the global health agenda when Global Handwashing Day takes next Saturday (October 15).
“As we approach Global Handwashing Day, we encourage all Port Douglas and Mossman parents and teachers to educate themselves and their children and students on the importance of hand hygiene,” she said.
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