Essay On Handwashing in Post Covid-19 Era

Handwashing is very important and helps to protect us from potential threats from germs and other microbes. This essay on handwashing looks into the importance of handwashing in the post-covid-19 era.

 Handwashing in Post Covid-19 Era

On the 8th of December 2019; a new strand of virus known as Covid-19  broke out in Wuhan Province in China and gradually, it spreads like a wildfire across the globe. Since then, everyone has been left to bask in dysphoria of the devastation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Prior to this, several deadly outbreaks have been recorded in different parts of the world and even Nigeria has not been left out of the list; all thanks to the deadly Ebola and Lassa fever. Yet, it appears there is a ubiquitous and effective prevention method regardless of the disease’s type and origin. Unfortunately, many communities are ignorant of this life-saving act and hence, they continue to be victims of life-threatening maladies.

To be precise, hand-washing is the ubiquitous and effective way I was emphasizing in the antecedent paragraph as it is the first medical advice people are given to ensure they protect themselves from diseases is to always wash their hands with soap and water, that is, regular hand-washing.

It is absolutely impossible for one to completely unwrap the benefits of hand-washing as there are numerous, though hidden from so many to so few. Many people view hand-washing as nothing more than applying some liquid to the palms and rubbing them together. They have degraded hand-washing to only before and after eating or after using the toilet.

We have all forgotten the words of that man whose existence was to ensure the promotion of hand-washing practices around the world and he was later given a Nobel Prize for his undying efforts. Koffi Annan stated and I quote;

we shall not defeat any of the infectious diseases that plague the developing world until we have also won the battle for safe drinking water, sanitation, and basic healthcare.

Sanitation in the quote simply implies soap and water which are the main tools needed to wash our hands adequately. It is, therefore, a must for us to follow the footsteps of Koffi Annan if we hope to maintain this era as a Post Covid-19 and not a pathway into another era of Covid-19 outbreak.

It is a known fact that coronavirus can be transmitted through handshakes or other close interactions with an infected person without observing proper safety measures. Though you might be of the opinion that people should sanitize their hands regularly to prevent the spread of the coronavirus but you should not forget that there are a lot of people who cannot afford a one-square meal not to talk of a hand sanitiser. Also, it is proven scientifically that alcohol-based hand sanitisers are only effective against respiratory viruses like Coronavirus and cannot eliminate gastroenteritis viruses which put the world at a very big risk if there is an outbreak of such diseases.

You might wonder why soap is better than an alcohol-based hand sanitiser; this is because soaps do not only kill microbes but also rupture their cell walls and mechanically remove them from our hands, unlike hand sanitisers which work more to eliminate just some of the microbes while others that are resistant to attack by them are left on our palms.

Hand sanitisers are nothing more than an alternative to hand washing and not a priority.

Therefore, hand-washing is the most effective in the prevention of any kind of disease be it of a fungus, bacterium, or virus origin. It is also affordable and economical as you would not need to purchase water in most cases before washing your hands. Furthermore, regular washing of our hands is essential for the maintenance of proper hygiene, in fact, the foundation of a proper healthy life is “hand-washing”.

Once you develop the sense of washing your hands regularly, you lower your risk of contracting coronavirus (then) or any other disease. Thus, the primary concern of the communities should otherwise, be on how to ensure the availability of soap and clean water to the masses.

Consequently, a person who is conversant with hand-washing practices will find it easier to clean his environment. After all, germs are gotten from our surroundings so, failure to maintain proper environmental hygiene makes hand-washing useless as you would continue to remain vulnerable to diseases in a dirty environment.

In addition, hand-washing habits should be imparted from childhood to ensure a lifelong healthy lifestyle. Children are more vulnerable to diseases and a simple way to protect them against these diseases is to teach them to wash their hands always.

However, we should take note of this line of a Chinese proverb that goes thus, “what I see, I remember but what I do, I understand” while inculcating the habit of hand-washing so that the young ones also can understand the importance of what they are doing.

On the same note, it is high time adults also acknowledged the mindset of “prevention is better than cure” and also put it into practice. This is because the more we take antibiotics to fight viruses, bacteria and other pathogens; the better these pathogens develop resistance to the antibiotics. You can clearly see this as the Covid-19 vaccines were not so effective and new traits of the virus were discovered in some parts of Europe.

In a nutshell, it is pivotal that we promote hand-washing practices in our communities, schools, religious gatherings, or any other place we might be. It might seem true that the world is gradually recovering from the devastation left by Covid-19 but if we do not prioritize washing our hands with soap and water regularly then we should be anticipating a Covid-20 in no time.

Conclusively, hand-washing should not be a choice but mandatory; it should not be a privilege but a right; it should not be temporary but permanent; it should not be before and after eating but before and after breathing.

We should all endeavour to promote hand-washing practices in our communities and join hands to wash away life-threatening diseases.