Just a Hand Shake

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 Shaking hands is generally a friendly gesture, a primal practice, known and ritualised all over the world. This tactile demonstration of warmth  must have started with the intention of showing the trust for one another and hence effect co-operation among fellow beings. There are other ways of greeting too. Bowing is popular in Japan, China,Korea and India. Namaste, closing the palms in the front, is unique for Indians. The sense of touch, which is more special than the other faculties, is scientifically proved to have soothing effects. But not all handshakes have impeccable intentions. There are robotic handshakes, cunning handshakes and handshakes and handshakes, only too well known in diplomatic circles.

 What does a handshake procure? The astonishing answer is disease. One may claim to have clean hands. That may not mean germ free hands. There are air borne diseases and diseases caused by contaminated water and food. But Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, after a number of surveys, have come to the conclusion that diseases spread through touch, predominate the former in number.

 Some of the innumerable diseases that spread through person to person contact are the common cold, influenza, conjunctivitis, abscesses, athlete’s foot, diphtheria, hand foot and mouth disease, impetigo, and the recently added to the list, sars, bird flu and swine flu and ailments created by parasites like ring worm, scabies, and the various fungal infections. Leprosy spreads through contact, but requires longer period of touch. Everyone picks up germs on his person and whether he gets infected or not, often transfers them to others. These are known as transient germs. A person having an infectious disease, spreads the disease by his breath containing germs, droplets of runny nose or saliva or the parasites on his skin making a quick move to a new home when the skins come into contact.

 It is very hard for a person with infectious diseases like cold or conjunctivitis, not to touch his nose or eyes. Bacteria and fungus lodge in the nails and fingers of the person with skin infections, which cause itching. Persons with infectious diarrhoea are likely to have germs in their hands if they do not  wash them properly.  A person shaking hands with these people, in all likelihood, contacts the diseases. When there is a break in the skin, the disease finds a sure home.

 The purpose of this article is not to advocate people against shaking hands or to denigrate those who follow this ritual. This is written with the intention of throwing light on the importance of keeping the hands clean and germ free in order to prevent diseases from spreading.  Washing hands and decontaminating them, now popularly known as hand hygiene, is procedurally followed by hospitals. Hand hygiene should be followed by all.  Washing contaminated hands is imperative in prevention of diseases. Antimicobial hand-wipes are available which can be used to wipe hands in case there is no immediate facility for washing. Alcohol based hand rubs are more effective in controlling the germs, say the doctors.  One must wipe the hands and nails clean with the rub and allow it to dry. Ethanol, with a concentration of 60- 95%, and white alcohol are widely used in these rubs. Half a teaspoon is enough for one cleaning. These rubs are available in gel forms also, with added emollients to restore moisture to the skin, for, alcohol tends to make the skin dry. But visible dirt has to be washed away with soap. Care should be taken not to shake the hands of infected persons because prevention is a lot better.