Latinos are known to be very affectionate people. In fact, in most of our native countries, it’s bad manners to not shake hands or kiss on the cheek. It’s something we grew up with and your mother will scold you if you don’t say hello the “proper way”. This is why it’s so important to have good hygiene, especially because germs can be transmitted by a simple handshake.
Have you ever shaken someone’s hand and it is sweaty? The first thing you think is why is this person’s hand so sweaty? It’s gross, but at least you know that if you shake someone’s sweaty hand, that you have to go and wash it.But, even though most hands don’t sweat too much, there are germs and there are diseases that you can contract through handshakes, such as:
- Diarrhea: A mixture of bacteria, viruses, and parasites can cause diarrhea and if a person doesn’t wash their hands when they use the bathroom, they can pass on that virus or bacteria to another person.
- HPV: The Human Papilloma Virus Infection can cause genital warts, which can lead to cancer of the cervix. The virus is located in warts found in HPV, and hands and there have been studies that the disease can spread through a simple handshake.
- Genital Herpes: This is a sexually transmitted disease that causes genital pain and sores. The sores contain the virus and if the person infected touches them and then touches other parts of their body or other people, it can spread easily.
- Hepatitis A: This is an infection of the liver and it usually spreads through contaminated food, water, and fingers containing the virus. The virus is spread through feces and when people don’t wash their hands, they can transmit the disease very easily.
- Eye Infection: There’s a reason children are asked to stay at home if they have an eye infection. Viruses and bacteria cause eye infections such as conjunctivitis and trachoma. The fluid that comes from the infected eye can be easily wiped off by someone’s hand and if they don’t wash their hands properly they can infect someone else.
Washing your hands properly doesn’t take any rocket science. Make sure you wash your hands in running water, add anti-bacterial soap, rub your hands for at least 20 seconds, rinse and then dry. Prevent the spread of disease and ask others to do the same.