Since around 80 per cent of virus transmission from communicable diseases occurs through hand contact, individuals need to wash their hands carefully to reduce the spread of infectious diseases among people, as well as the risk of infection from clinics and hospitals. Hence, everybody needs to recognize that the hand-washing process is the best way to prevent the spread of infectious viruses among people.

Unclean hands can lead to outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, dysentery, diarrhoea, hepatitis, polio, and worm-borne diseases. Similarly, unclean skin can cause scabies, dandruff, itching, abscesses, and other conditions. The Ministry of Health frequently notes that these communicable diseases are not easy to treat, and people need to take proper preventive measures to avoid infection.

The World Health Organization (WHO) urges people in all parts of the world to prioritize proper hand-washing. However, the majority of people around the globe do not maintain appropriate hand hygiene, which can lead to various diseases. According to records, around 3.5 million children die each year due to diseases caused by a lack of hand-washing.

In 2018, statistics showed that one-fourth of the 40 per cent mortality rate among children under five years old in Myanmar was due to preventable diseases like cholera and pneumonia. These tragic outcomes were primarily attributed to the carelessness and lack of health knowledge among adults responsible for the children.

Most viruses that cause communicable diseases are invisible, yet humans come into contact with them daily, often without realizing it. Therefore, it is essential to wash hands thoroughly with soap to prevent disease transmission. Everyone should be aware that clean hands significantly contribute to overall health.

Surveys indicated that currency notes used daily in society can harbour E coli bacteria, highlighting the importance of washing hands thoroughly with soap after handling these currency notes. Proper hand-washing is an effective practice to prevent viral infections and save many lives. It is a simple yet powerful step for individuals. These surveys showed that hand-washing can reduce pneumonia infections by 23 per cent, diarrheal infections by 30-50 per cent, and respiratory tract infections by 20-45 per cent.

Actually, everyone needs to wash their hands carefully using the correct technique. Simply rinsing hands with water, without soap, and not taking enough time to wash their hands are not effective hand-washing practices. That is why hands should be washed for at least 20 seconds to remove viruses from their hands effectively.

Most viruses that cause communicable diseases are invisible, yet humans come into contact with them daily, often without realizing it. Therefore, it is essential to wash hands thoroughly with soap to prevent disease transmission. Everyone should be aware that clean hands significantly contribute to overall health.