Washing hands is one of the easiest ways to prevent illness, says the Mayo Clinic. It is a very simple process, taking only 15 seconds and requiring only soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. A person should wash his hands before and after eating, and before and after preparing food. Not washing hands before handling or eating food can cause serious harm.
Shigellosis
A person can transmit shigella bacteria to another person via unwashed hands, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). People infected with shigellosis shed the bacteria through their stool, and can infect another person or contaminate food or water. According to MedlinePlus.com, there are 18,000 cases of shigellosis every year in the United States. Shigellosis causes abdominal pain, fever, nausea, vomiting and watery diarrhea. Symptoms can last from one to seven days. There are no medications to treat shigellosis, but a person should drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.
Hepatitis A
A person can contract hepatitis A by either person-to-person contact or consumption of contaminated food or water, reports the CDC. Hepatitis A infects approximately 25,000 U.S. citizens every year, although the number of infections has declined since the introduction of the vaccine in 1995. Hepatitis A symptoms include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, clay-colored stool, joint pain and jaundice. Symptoms can last anywhere from two to six weeks.
Norovirus
According to the CDC, food and drinks can very easily become contaminated with the norovirus through direct contact from unwashed hands. The norovirus is highly contagious, and it takes fewer than 100 norovirus particles to cause an infection. The CDC recommends that anyone infected with the norovirus, also known as the stomach flu, not work around food until two to three days after feeling better. Symptoms last from one to two days and usually include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and sometimes fever, headache and muscle aches. The norovirus has caused outbreaks on cruise ships, at restaurants, nursing homes, hospitals, schools, summer camps and at home.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Hand Washing: Do's and Don'ts
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Foodborne Illness
- U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health: MedlinePlus: Shigellosis
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Viral Hepatitis
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Norovirus: Food Handlers
