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As the 'Wuhan pneumonia' (COVID-19) epidemic spreads globally, preventive measures such as wearing masks, washing hands, avoiding crowded places, etc., have emerged.
1. Preventing COVID-19: The best and most challenging approach
While the 'Wuhan pneumonia' (COVID-19) epidemic is spreading globally, preventive measures such as wearing masks, washing hands, avoiding crowded places, etc., have emerged. However, there is one most effective yet challenging preventive measure: not touching the face.
(Photo: Shutterstock)
We often hear on television or the internet, experts advising that to avoid COVID-19 infection, wash hands frequently and refrain from touching the eyes, picking the nose, or touching the mouth and face. However, sometimes even the ones giving advice unconsciously touch their faces.
Unconsciously, this action is incredibly difficult to avoid. However, it can potentially lead to fatal consequences by causing oneself to be infected with the virus.
Rubbing the eyes, scratching the nose, or adopting contemplative postures like the sculpture 'The Thinker' by the artist Rodin are typical hand-to-face contacts. However, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, these actions cause experts to feel concerned.
Rodin's sculpture 'The Thinker'
Because the mouth, nose, eyes, and face are all pathways through which respiratory viruses, including the new coronavirus, can enter the body. These touching actions could happen in less than a minute. For 'Wuhan pneumonia' patients, it all starts from the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, or mouth.
Of course, the unintentional action of touching one's face is not a crime; it is likely a habit developed since childhood. William Sawyer, a family physician in Sharonville, Ohio, and also the founder of Henry the Hand organization, a non-profit organization helping to raise awareness among children and adults about the 4 principles of hand hygiene, once said: 'Habits are hard to change because people don't realize they're doing it.' 'This is a habit, and habits are very hard to change.'
The Washington Post also reported that a 2015 study showed that on average, people touch their faces 24 times in an hour, with 44% of those interactions related to the eyes, nose, and mouth.
Similar to other habits, the habit of touching the face will strengthen over time: initially it may be due to itching, wanting to scratch, or rubbing to relieve itching. However, over time, this reaction will gradually develop into unconscious behavior, repeating itself.
Unfortunately, this is precisely how diseases like 'Wuhan pneumonia' and many other infectious diseases are spreading. Viruses from mobile phones, keyboards, doorknobs, or other objects are carried by 'unintentional' hands directly to the nose, throat, and lungs.
Dr. Sawyer believes that avoiding touching the face and eye membranes without washing hands is the most important method to prevent an epidemic from becoming a pandemic.
In the 1990s, when children were still at the center of childcare like on a 'bacterial breeding ground', Sawyer founded the Henry the Hand organization and wore a lucky yellow T-shirt, promoting hand hygiene awareness. In 2002, after the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Sawyer expanded Henry the Hand internationally.
Sawyer stated that washing hands and avoiding touching the eyes, mouth, and nose helps reduce the spread of diseases because, in serious infectious diseases, this is a feasible solution.
'A healthy body lies in our own hands,' Dr. Sawyer reminded.
Source: trithucvn
