IN the midst of the SARS outbreak, health authorities have been advising the public and healthcare practitioners to practise proper hand hygiene. The move is logical, considering that adherence to hand hygiene has been shown to terminate outbreaks in health care facilities, to reduce the transmission of microbes, and reduce overall infection rates, says the Atlanta-based Centre for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov )
Some of the advice include the constant washing of hands with soap and water whenever possible, using gloves, avoiding the wearing of artificial nails, and keeping nails short. The latest advice, it seems, is to use alcohol-based handrubs, especially by medical personnel.
