Analyse why good personal hygiene could assist in curbing the spread of corona virus.
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This is the latest story in our Coronavirus Update series, in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may bring.
Turns out Mom was right.
Health experts say the best, simplest ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus that has killed more than 3,200 people and affected more than 100,000 around the world, follow the tried and true cold-season admonishments given out for generations. Wash your hands. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. Avoid touching your face. Stay home if you are sick.
But some of the advice has gotten a little more specific.
COVID-19 is spread through respiratory droplets, which typically travel about three to six feet and settle on surfaces, where they can live for a few hours up to several days, according to the World Health Organization. There is a risk of catching the disease by inhaling those particles, but there is a more significant risk of getting it by touching surfaces, such as desks, handrails, or doorknobs, where those droplets may have settled.
“The disease transmission goes from a cough or sneeze to a surface to your hand to your face, and that’s how people get infected,” said Paul Biddinger, director of the Emergency Preparedness Research, Evaluation, and Practice Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Good hand washing really matters. If people cough or sneeze into their elbow, that limits the spread of respiratory secretions. What all of us can do together is follow basic hygiene measures that will actually slow the spread of disease in communities.”
“Most people don’t wash their hands very well. As silly as it sounds to go watch a YouTube video on handwashing, people should do it to learn how to do it properly.”
— Paul Biddinger, Harvard Chan School
Basic hygiene measures may seem obvious, but they are important. Washing hands with plain soap and plain water kills viruses, but only if it’s done thoroughly and often. Hands should be scrubbed for at least 20 seconds, the time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice, to ensure germs won’t be transferred to objects or spread from person to person.
“Most people don’t wash their hands very well,” said Biddinger. “As silly as it sounds to go watch a YouTube video on handwashing, people should do it to learn how to do it properly. Washing hands has been clearly proved to decrease disease transmission and lower your chance of getting infected.”
Hand sanitizers may be helpful, if they contain at least 60 percent alcohol, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But if your hands are dirty or greasy the sanitizer won’t work, which is why the agency favors hand washing. A 2006 study found that hand washing can cut the risk of respiratory infection by 16 percent and a 2008 study showed a 21 percent reduction.
Experts acknowledge the hardest of the self-protective measures to follow is not touching one’s face. A 2015 study that observed medical students at the University of New South Wales found that each of them touched their face 23 times per hour on average.
It’s important to avoid face touching because germs can get into the body through the eyes, nose, and mouth. Contaminated hands can transfer the virus when people rub their eyes, scratch their noses, or touch their mouths. “We all reflexively touch our face,” said Biddinger. “But trying to be more mindful of touching our face decreases our chance of infection.”
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