I confess right now that my least favorite part about teaching First Aid and/or CPR has always been the segment on handwashing. That’s because the students’ annoyance is absolutely palpable.  Don’t get me wrong, they’re always very polite, but those 12 sets of eyes on any given day make clear their feelings on the subject: “You gotta be kidding! This is a lifesaving skill? Come on… let’s get on to the good stuff I’m paying for.”  

So, “Yes,” I sheepishly nod and say, “handwashing is a standard precaution in the prevention of disease transmission.” In fact, this simple effort is so important, there’s a 4-color skill-sheet in the book to describe the process. Then, despite their eye-rolling, I ask the class to turn to page 10 in their workbooks (“Grumble, grumble. Tell me something I didn’t know. Grumble, grumble,” I imagine the class protesting in unison. )

I bravely proceed to describe and demonstrate the correct way to wash one’s hands. With a straight face:

Turn on the water

Wet your hands with water

Apply soap to your hands

Rub your hands together vigorously for at least 15 seconds, covering all surfaces of the hands and fingers

Take care to scrub your fingernails against the palms of your hands to loosen any bacteria or debris underneath

Rinse your hands with water

Dry your hands thoroughly with a paper towel

Turn off the faucet using that paper towel

And, I always follow up with a clarification, a caveat and a challenge: Remember, washing your hands means soaping and scrubbing for at least 15 seconds and THEN rinsing, not soaping up and rinsing for 15 seconds! This elicits a few guilty giggles from the crowd and a few lightbulbs seem to go on, too.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are helpful if handwashing facilities are not readily available and should be used as a stop-gap until you can get yourself to a place where you are able to wash your hands properly. They should never be used in place of handwashing, though.

At the next break, I challenge you to wash your hands for a full 15 seconds. It’s longer than you think, but well worth it in the fight to prevent disease transmission.

But, all of this changed now, given the unexpected outbreak of the H1N1 Flu. The acting head of the Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Richard Besser himself, said that people can best protect themselves against the swine flu threat is by taking precautions they were taught as kids, like frequently washing their hands.

So, there you have it. I’m vindicated. What a relief. From now on, I can teach this segment with my head held high. And, if necessary, I know I can invoke Dr. Besser’s name at the first sign of any eye-rolling.

The H1N1 (Swine) Flu and now influenza in general seem to be striking fear in the hearts of a many people.  The Red Cross has a lot of helpful information on the subject ranging from a “Be Red Cross Ready” Flu checklist to a very robust Pandemic Flu site plus other blog posts and links to the CDC.

But, if the H1N1 (Swine) Flu has you worried, my recommendation is this: turn your handwringing into something practical –do it with soap and running water for at least 15 seconds… and remember, that’s soaping and scrubbing for at least 15 seconds, not soaping and then rinsing for 15 seconds!

Carla Feuer is a volunteer and instructor for the St. Louis Area Chapter.