Hand washing: how often should it be done?

Throughout the day, your hands come into contact with numerous objects that may have been contaminated by bacteria or viruses, turning them into veritable breeding grounds for microbes. Consequently, as soon as you touch your eyes, nose, or mouth without having previously washed your hands, these pathogens can enter your body. Moreover, the issue when you do not wash your hands is that you transfer your microbes to everything you touch, which can then be transmitted from one person to another in various ways (bus bars, door handles, etc.). Thus, the next person who touches the said object may contract the germs and fall ill in turn. To reduce the risk of transmission of germs responsible for infectious diseases, such as flu, gastroenteritis, skin and eye infections, intestinal worms, or even COVID-19, it is therefore essential to ensure frequent and proper hand washing. Besides eliminating a large portion of the bacteria and viruses present on the skin, hand washing also cleans any visible dirt.