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Nathalie Thibault's bachelor's degree in Microbiology and master's degree in Immunology make her a germ and immune system specialist. Since the birth of her two daughters, she has been particularly interested in the infections which affect children who attend daycare. She is a teacher, speaker, and author. The specialized documents and courses she conceives help those involved in early childhood outsmart germs. She writes for a magazine called La Culbute and the mamanpourlavie.com website.

Plea in favor of soap

The accused : soap

"I plead guilty Your Honor. Yes, I have sent millions of germs to unemployment. I admit it. I am soft, I foam, I smell good, and I detach germs and dirt in no time! I feel really bad Your Honor. Each time I see dirty hands, I just can't help myself, I must wash them... there is nothing more important than children's health."

After a few tears, Mr. Soap continues...
"No need to worry Your Honor. People are using me less and less...and my enemies, germs, are going back to work. People no longer see how useful my presence can be. Some don't have enough time and accuse me of being unnecessary. It's not fair, I protected their health for several years, I am still useful, don't forget me! I remember the days when mothers asked their children to wash their hands before sitting down for a meal."

Surprising, but true! Hygiene is being set aside. We are washing our hands of it. People are washing their hands less than before. Furthermore, men are losing this habit faster than women (small challenge for men!). We feel a false sense of security nowadays! Of course, we have antibiotics, vaccinations, disinfectants, but all these means mustn't, under any circumstances, lead us to forget the basis of our health: hygiene.

What about you? Is hand washing a habit which is part of your daily life?
Did you know that the simple act of washing your hands can help you avoid up to 80% of infections? Why? Hands are what transport the most germs. Germs do not have wings or legs, they must be transported. Hands are perfect for this job because they touch everything: surfaces, objects, and food. Hands sometimes touch things which are not very clean... Remember that germs' greatest advantage is that they are invisible to the naked eye! They have every reason to remain invisible if they want to continue to disturb us in the future!

Whether you are at home, at work, or outdoors, hand washing is easy, free, and especially, efficient. It is unnecessary to completely sanitize and disinfect our environment. Simple hand washing is sufficient to do most of the work!

What about the flu?
Influenza is transmitted mostly via projections when a person coughs and, once again, HANDS! It is therefore very important to wash our hands after blowing our nose or coughing into our hands. Only 30% of people wash their hands after sneezing or blowing their nose. There is a lot of work to do to raise awareness...

Convinced?
Stop ignoring Mr. Soap. He has worked so well over the years! If you have little time, use his cousin, alcohol-based hand sanitizer. 1, 2, 3...wash your hands!

Checking children's hand washing technique

Is the water lukewarm? YES NO
Do they dry their hands using paper towels? YES NO
If they use a fabric towel, do you have one towel per child? YES NO

NAME OF CHILD

DOES THE CHILD USE SOAP?
DOES THE CHILD RINSE THE SOAP TOO SOON?
DOES THE CHILD RUB ENOUGH?
DOES THE CHILD RINSE HIS HANDS?
DOES THE CHILD DRY HIS HANDS?

How do you plan to improve the situation?

Also appeared in the "Bulletin de l'Association des garderies privées du Québec", January 2008

Nathalie Thibault

Products and services offered by Germaction: Distance learning courses for caregivers, courses in classroom settings, conferences, animated workshops, ISO-BOBOS program, etc.

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