Your Health Is In Your Hands: WASH


When to Wash

Hands should always be washed BEFORE:
  • touching eyes, nose and mouth
  • inserting or removing contact lenses
  • preparing food
  • eating
20 sec logoHands should always be washed AFTER:
  • using the toilet
  • coughing, sneezing or using a tissue
  • eating, drinking or smoking
  • touching cuts, burns or infected areas on the skin
  • handling raw meat and poultry
  • changing diapers
  • touching animals
  • touching public surfaces like door handles, gas pumps, shopping carts, etc.

Wash Your Hands

Washing hands is the most important and easiest action we can take to prevent getting sick and spreading illness.

Frequent and proper hand washing kills the germs that cause:

  • Hands being washedgastro-intestinal illnesses, such as norovirus and E. coli
  • influenza
  • the common cold
  • Strep throat
  • Staph infection
  • pink eye
  • many other diseases

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are a good alternative when soap and water are not available to wash hands.

Find out HOW TO WASH YOUR HANDS THE RIGHT WAY

ALWAYS cover your coughs and sneezes the proper way!

Hand Washing Materials

The  Health Department's public education campaign: Your Health is In Your Hands: WASH promotes proper hand washing with educational materials; and hand washing education at health fairs and other community events. Call the Health Department for more information at 703-246-2411, TTY 703-591-6435.

Big hand on cover of Pamphlet -Wash your Hands

Wash Your Hands to Stop the Spread of Germs and Prevent Disease (PDF)

 

picture of the Wash Your Hands posterHand washing instruction sign (PDF)


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