Wash Your Hands!

Salt Lake City, 10/28/09 — With the H1N1 flu virus (swine flu) prevalent, Intermountain Healthcare is kicking off a public service campaign reminding people to wash or sanitize their hands.

As part this public health campaign, visitors and patients at Intermountain Healthcare hospitals and clinics will see posters that are thought provoking, friendly reminders to people to protect themselves from the millions of germs living on every surface we touch.

Intermountain Healthcare hopes these creative posters will remind everyone to practice good hand washing. The posters can be printed from the Internet for use in homes, schools, churches, workplaces, and anywhere people could use a reminder to keep their hands clean. Sixteen different posters are available at:  intermountainhealthcare.org/handwashing.

Keeping hands clean is one of the most important steps that can be taken to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others, especially during the current flu and cold season.

To properly wash your hands, you should follow the hand-washing guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control:

• Wet your hands with clean running water and apply soap. Use warm water if it is available.
• Rub hands together to lather soap and scrub all surfaces.
• Continue rubbing hands for 20 seconds.
• Dry your hands using a paper towel or air dryer. If possible, use your paper towel to turn off the faucet.

In addition to washing hands with soap and water, alcohol-based gels can be just as effective at cleaning hands, and can be more gentle on skin for those who wash their hands multiple times each day.