Table of Contents
Introduction
Hand-washing is a crucial healthy essential for every person. The hands are usually susceptible to pathogen infections like methicilin resistant aureas and vancomycin resistant enterococcus and Gram negative bacteria. Therefore, the university students and the college faculties need to wash their hands every time they visit the toilet. There is various bacteria transferrable form the bathroom. They are also vulnerable to hand-foot-mouth disease, hepatitis, shigellosis and Giardiasis. The disease are fecal-to-oral; diseases. The analysis will cover the importance of washing hands after visiting the bathroom.
Literature review
The washing of hands after visiting the bathroom is vital especially for the university students and faculties who are my main focus. The bathroom has a high concentration of germs and a host of other bacteria. The university place is worse because students share the bathrooms. The concentration of germs and bacteria is high. The students and the faculties should be encouraged to wash their hands. In fact, making the practice a habit is the most important healthy measure the group can take to avoid contracting many diseases. The transmission rate is also high because of the number of students and faculties. The other bacteria carried from the bathroom include E-Coli, Staphylococcus Aureus, Streptococcus, Campylobacter, and Salmonella (Browning-Wroe, 2012, p.37). There is need for disinfection of the bathroom to kill some of the germs. Some germs are harmful although some are not harmful. The growth and domination of the bacteria is subject to the supply of carbon and nitrogen source.
The domination of the bacteria is also high in the bathrooms because of their high tolerance of oxygen absence. The washroom is also a favorable breeding place for the bacteria because of moisture and warmth in the washrooms. Ross (2011, p.43) asserts that more than 80% of the bacteria’s body is made up of water hence their domination in the washrooms. The washroom is also a favorite breeding site for the bacteria because of darkness. Ultra-violet rays kill them hence the darkness in washrooms boosts their survival. The washing of hands is critical to avoid the infection of the bacteria. This notwithstanding, some bacteria are beneficial to human beings. For instance, pro-biotics are used to treat gastrointestinal disorders among young children. The washing of hands sheds off the bacteria carried from the bathroom. Consequently, the spread of the bacteria is prevented.
The bathrooms have close proximity to the toilets. For this reason, there is no difference between the bacteria associated with the toilet and the bathrooms. For instance, salmonella bacteria are found in bathrooms and toilets. The hand-washing practice must be done properly. A proper technique must be adopted to ensure that the hand is well disinfected. According to Simmers (2010, p.83), the significance of washing hands is that viruses do not respond to antibiotics. The risk of carrying the bacteria and viruses from the bathroom is high hence the need for prevention of such infections. In fact, the treatment of viruses includes comfort measures for fever and blisters. Hepatitis A is a contagious disease and it fatally affects the liver. The infection results from failure of the victim to wash his hands after visiting the bathroom. The disease is contagious hence the victim risks spreading the disease to other people. Additionally, some people never exhibit symptoms relating to the disease.
The germs and bacteria affect a person when they are ingested. It is common for an individual to forget washing hands because of the busy schedules of life. Therefore, it is better for the hand-washing practice to be made habitual. This will help in the prevention of the diseases. Shigellosis disease prevention is also one of the benefits of washing hands after bathroom use. Washing hands is a precaution against contracting such a disease. It is manifest in watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps. The disease is also contagious. The usually seems germless but is harbors millions of bacteria. Hands should be washed with soap to kills the germs. Soap is a disinfectant, which kills the germs. However, the victims can use antibiotics like azithromycin or ciprofloxacin. According to World Health Organization (2009, p.51), prevention is better than cure hence an individual should not take chances in maintenance of high levels of hygiene. The university students are many. For this reason, most of them may not remember to wash their hands after visiting the bathroom.
The busy university environment is a major contribution to the ignorance of the hand-washing practice. Moreover, most people assume that germs are non-existent in bathrooms after bathing. The proximity of the bathroom to the toilet makes the bathroom an unsafe pace hence the need for habitual hand-washing practice. The university students may be overwhelmed by eth amount of bacteria they ingest. The use of common facilities exacerbates the problem of not washing hands. The human immune system lacks the ability to tolerate high amounts of bacteria. The other reason for washing hands after visiting the bathroom is that the germs and bacteria are not visible. Therefore, it is difficult to identify the bacteria. Besides the bathroom the environment has millions of bacteria. In this regard, the habitual washing of hands will reduce the susceptibility of the university students and the faculties to various infections.
The faecal contamination of hands occurs after an individual visits the bathroom. It is incumbent upon every student and faculty to wash their hands. Faecal contamination is fatal because of the risk of contracting a myriad of other diseases including dysentery. The other risk of the university student face is the spread of the germs to their colleagues. Students never have social boundaries hence the risk of spreading eth bacteria among themselves. The bathroom is never fee of bacteria regardless thorough cleaning. The proximity of the bathroom to the toilet makes the place perfect place for the bacteria. The rapid growth of bacteria is also a reason for habitual washing of hands after visiting the bathroom. In fact, the number of bacteria in existence is more than all other living organism. There are more bacteria in showers than in toilets. The bathrooms should also be regularly cleaned with disinfectants and kept dry to discourage the multiplication of the bacteria.
The washing of hands also reduces the germs on the body, which are more than the body blood cells. The practice prevents the infection of harmful bacteria like gastrointestinal virus. The virus causes stomach ailments in people. The virus is unique because it stays on a surface for more than a week. For this reason, it can be easily be transmitted to other people. The skin and respiratory organisms are also fatal to human beings hence the need for the university students to wash their hands using disinfectants after visiting the bathrooms. The enteric pathogens are also found in bathrooms. The pathogens are harmful to human beings. Once they are ingested they cause diarrhoea and subsequent death. The pathogens killed four children in California in 1993 (Browning-Wroe, 2012, p.91). Additionally, the students should not walk bare-footed in the bathrooms because of the risk of dermatophitic fungi. The fungi are harmful to human health and it can causes death in extreme cases.
The residual fungi common in most bathrooms are also harmful to human beings because they can easily cause asthma and other allergies. The chances of contacting a disease due to bathroom-based bacteria are high when hands-washing is ignored. The students should also e accustomed to hand-washing before eating. The risk of not washing hands is the contamination of food. It is imperative to wash hands before eating. The risk of ingesting the bacteria is reduced through the washing of hands before eating. In case a student forgot to wash hands after visiting the bathroom, washing hands before eating will prevent the ingestion of the harmful bacteria. According to Anderson (2013, p.415), the university should introduce a program to sensitize the students and the university fraternity on the need for hand-washing practice.
Self-reflection
The problem of not washing hands after visiting the bathroom is not alien to me. I have also forgotten washing hands in the past. I share in the common perception that the bathroom is not as filthy as the toilet. The fact that thorough cleaning is done implies that the place is clean. I have never realised that the bathroom harbours more bacteria than the toilet. I have also never realised that eh bathroom is equally dirty subject to its proximity to the toilet. My busy schedule sometimes leads to skipping of the essential practice. My friend decided to remind of hand-washing every time he could see me visit the bathroom. I could not have realised that the place is unsafe were it not for his care and empathy. I have learnt to make hand-washing exercise a habit to maintain good health. I have also learnt to maintain high standards of hygiene because such consciousness informs the hand-washing practice. I learnt that being hygienic is closely related to washing hands after visiting the toilet and the washroom.
Conclusion
The university students and the faculties’ tendency of skipping hand-washing is risky to their health. Washing of hands is a simple practice but critical in maintenance of good health. The bathroom harbours many kinds of bacteria because of the favourable climate for breeding. Bacteria grow and multiply in warm, dark and humid areas. For this reason, washing of hands reduce the risk of contracting disease associated with E-Coli, Staphylococcus Aureus, Streptococcus, Campylobacter, and Salmonella.
- Anderson, Paul, V. Technical Communication, p.1-633, 2013.
- Browning-Wroe, Jo, Julie Anderson, Claude Chalk, and Karen Seberg. Remember Your Manners. Greensboro, NC: Key Education Publishing, 2012. Print.
- Ross, Tony. Wash Your Hands!Brooklyn, N.Y: Kane/Miller, 2011. Print.
- Simmers, Louise. Essentials of Diversified Health Occupations. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers, 2010. Print.
- World Health Organization. Who Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care: First Global Patient Safety Challenge : Clean Care Is Safer Care. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, Patient Safety, 2009. Print.