With hand-washing top of mind, soap is an integral part of keeping clean. But people through the ages relied on earlier forms of soap more for cleaning objects than for personal hygiene.
With no place to wash hands and nowhere to physically isolate, many poor Indonesians are incredibly vulnerable as COVID-19 sweeps through the global south.
Global cities such as Wuhan (pictured in March 2018) require investments in lower-carbon urban development to enhance public health.
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After the Covid-19 pandemic, we must seize the opportunity to make urban centers more livable places by investing in affordable housing, basic services, clean energy and active transport.
A simple, low-tech way to get rid of germs.
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You can prevent your skin becoming dry and inflamed with some simple steps. And if you do develop dermatitis, it’s important to seek early medical help.
Students wearing facemasks wash their hands before attending a class at a government-run school in Secunderabad, March 4, 2020.
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In India handwashing practices have come under scrutiny as millions of Indian poorest return home from major cities. Many do not have access to basic amenities.
Social distancing is one of the key ways to keep the coronavirus from spreading.
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Handling the US outbreak requires a look at what’s working for the rest of the world – and our own history.
U.S. Surgeon General Vice Admiral Jerome M. Adams, center, demonstrates hand-washing to U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, left, and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, right, in Rocky Hill, Conn., March 2, 2020.
AP Photo/Jessica Hill
As the coronavirus spreads, public health officials stress the importance of hand washing. But can it really make that much of a difference? A microbiologist explains why.
Students line up to sanitize their hands to avoid the contact of coronavirus in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Jan. 28, 2020.
AP Photo/Heng Sinith
With coronavirus continuing to spread, you may wonder: How do I know if I might have it? An infectious disease expert explains.
A worker in Wuhan, China removes biomedical waste from the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where many patients of the coronavirus have been treated, on Jan. 22, 2020.
AP Photo/Dake Kang
The coronavirus that has sickened hundreds in Wuhan, China, has worried health officials and other humans across the globe. Should people in the US worry?
Regular hand washing is important not only to keep from getting the flu but also to prevent passing it to others, such as young children and seniors, who may be even more vulnerable. Here’s how.
Not all bathrooms are clean, which poses a problem for holiday travelers trying to keep their hands clean.
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With holiday travel in full swing and people packed together in small spaces, it’s important to try to stop the spread of germs. But can we really get our hands clean with a few seconds of cold water?
Hand sanitisers are popular as an alternative to washing hands using soap and water to kill germs.
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The poor quality of hand sanitisers in Kenya poses a health concern. If this market remains unregulated these products might encourage the undetected transmission of infectious pathogens in hospitals.
The public in Sierra Leone was proactive in reporting suspected Ebola cases.
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The power to overcoming Ebola was in public awareness by performing simple yet basic infection prevention and control measures like washing hands, isolation and reporting suspected cases.
Companies promoting these products have until now been able to make exaggerated claims about their relative germ-killing ability.
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The US FDA has ruled to disallow the use of the more than a dozen antibacterial compounds in so-called “antibacterial” handwashes. Australia should now follow suit.
After a handshake, we learned this week that we sniff our hands. But why? Hand smells are not all that interesting in themselves. This points to possibilities that you might not want to hear.