Last revised on June 16, 2020.
Healthy habits are important to protect yourself and others from potentially harmful germs. Germs are types of microbes, such as bacteria or viruses, which can cause diseases. They are spread directly from person to person, or indirectly by touching a surface that has been contaminated with them. Harmful germs can sometimes lead to serious illness, particularly in vulnerable populations such as young children, the elderly, or people with underlying medical conditions. To reduce the spread of germs and to prevent yourself and others from getting sick, Ottawa Public Health recommends that you:
- Wash your hands with soap and water, or use hand sanitizer
- Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your arm, not your hand
- Stay home if you are sick
- Get immunized
What is hand hygiene? | ||||||||||
Hand hygiene is the most important way to prevent you and others from getting sick due to an infection. Hand hygiene refers to the cleaning of your hands by either washing them or applying alcohol-based hand rub. Consistently practicing good hand hygiene is essential to reduce the spread of infection in your at home, in daycares, schools, workplaces, and public places. | ||||||||||
When should you clean your hands? | ||||||||||
It is important to wash your hands:
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How should you clean your hands? | ||||||||||
If you have soap and clean running water available, you can wash your hands to reduce the spread of germs. However, if soap and water are not available, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. How to wash your hands with soap and water:
How to clean your hands with a hand sanitizer
Quick tip: Applying a non-scented moisturizer to your hands daily will also help ensure your skin remains healthy and prevents chapping leading to optimal hand health! |
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Hand hygiene for children | ||||||||||
To find out more about hand hygiene and children, you can go to: http://www.parentinginottawa.com/en/children/hygiene.asp) | ||||||||||
The science behind hand hygiene | ||||||||||
Germs are types of microbes which can cause diseases. Hand-to-hand contact between two people can spread germs that cause mild illnesses, such as the common cold, or more severe or life-threatening infections such as measles or meningitis. Even if your hands appear to be clean, they may still be carrying germs that can lead to illness. Good hand hygiene practices are important to prevent the spread of germs to others and to avoid getting sick yourself. Evidence shows that good hand hygiene: Reduces the number of people who get sick with diarrhea by 31%1 Reduces the number of people who get sick with respiratory illness by 21%1 |
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Hand hygiene Frequently Asked Questions | ||||||||||
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Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your arm, not your hand | ||||||||||
To stop the spread of germs that can make others sick, you should always cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and put your used tissue in a waste basket. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hand.
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Stay home if you are sick |
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If it is possible, stay home from work or school when you are sick. Staying home helps prevent spreading your illness to others. In particular, young children, people over 65 years of age, and those with compromised immune systems are at greater risk of severe illness and even death from common viruses, such as influenza ("the flu"). |
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Cleaning your home to prevent the spread of germs |
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Germs: Get them where they live. Commonly touched surfaces and items should be cleaned and disinfected frequently (e.g. at least once a day) to limit the potential spread of germs. Seek and findWhen a bug strikes, it's likely to hide out in sneaky places -- and stay there a while. Flu viruses live on some surfaces for about 24 hours. Norovirus, a common cause of stomach bugs, can stick around for days or even weeks. And both are super contagious. Clean first then disinfectWiping down a countertop with soapy water will get rid of some germs but if someone has the flu or diarrhea or is throwing up, you want to kill the germs, or disinfect. Look for a cleaner that specifically says “disinfectant” and follow the directions for use. Or another option is to mix 10 mL of bleach with 1 litre of water (or 2 tsp of bleach with 4 cups of water) to disinfect hard surfaces with 2 minute of contact time*. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, it would be reasonable to instead use a mixture of 20 mL of bleach with 1 litre of water (or 4 tsp of bleach with 4 cups of water) to disinfect hard surfaces with 1 minute of contact time. It is important to remember to make a fresh bleach solution each time you disinfect, or at least everyday. *Note: The contact time, also known as the wet time, is the time that the disinfectant needs to stay wet on a surface to make sure it can kill all the germs. It is the length of time you leave the solution on the surface before wiping it down. CleaningGerms love to hide in and on wet surfaces. That makes the kitchen or bathroom sponge the perfect tool for spreading sickness. If someone is sick, replace your sponge with a microfiber cloth instead. It soaks up bacteria and other germs better than a regular cotton cloth. If you want to clean with a sponge, wet it and put it in the microwave for 2 minutes before use. Wear gloves, and wash your handsDisposable rubber, vinyl, or latex gloves can keep germs off your hands while you clean -- and protect your skin from harsh products, too. Throw them out when you're done so you don’t spread disease, and always wash your hands thoroughly afterward. Stop the spreadBe careful not to bring germs from the bathroom to the kitchen, for example, with your cleaning supplies or on your cleaning cloth. You can use a different colour cloth for each room to keep them separate. |
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Get immunized | ||||||||||
Annual influenza immunization is the safest and most effective way to avoid getting the flu or to reduce the severity of your symptoms if you do get sick, and to keep from spreading this virus to others. For more information, visit the Public Health Agency of Canada's website 'Getting the facts - then get your flu shot References 1. Aiello AE.,& Coulbourn RM.,& Perez V., & Larson EL., 2008 Aug. Effect of hand hygiene on infectious disease risk in the community setting: a meta-analysis. Am J Public Health. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18556606 2. Kampf G, & Kramer A. 2004 Oct. Epidemiologic background of hand hygiene and evaluation of the most important agents for scrubs and rubs. Clin Microbiol Rev. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15489352 3. Jason Socrates Bardi. June 14, 2009. The Gross Science of a Cough and a Sneeze. Live Science. Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/3686-gross-science-cough-sneeze.html |
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Hand Hygiene Resources | ||||||||||
Learn more about preventing the spread of germs in the below resources prepared by OPH. The information below is available in other formats. Contact Ottawa Public Health at 613-580-6744 to request the document in an accessible format.
Hand Washing Poster only:
Hand Washing Poster and Factsheet:Hand Sanitizing Poster only:
Hand Sanitizing Poster and Factsheet:Cough Etiquette Poster only:
Cough Etiquette Poster and Factsheet: |
COVID-19 Update
Contact Information
Ottawa Public Health COVID-19 telephone line
- Monday to Friday, from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm
- Weekends, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
- Translation is available in multiple languages
- Telephone: 613-580-6744 follow the prompts to the COVID-19 telephone line
- TTY: 613-580-9656
Emergency Services
- If you are in distress (e.g., significant trouble breathing, chest pain, fainting, or have a significant worsening of any chronic disease symptoms), do not go to the Assessment Centre or a COVID-19 Care clinic. Go to the nearest Emergency Department or call 9-1-1.
See someone not respecting COVID-19 rules?
- Learn more about COVID-19 rules.
- Telephone: 3-1-1
How to access help during COVID-19
- 211 Ontario can help you find financial and social support during COVID-19
- Telephone: 2-1-1
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Related pages
- Learn more about the Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 and the current situation in Ottawa
- Supporting Child Care during COVID-19
- Be Social Wise- Guidance for Social Gatherings during COVID-19
- Grocery Shopping, Meal Planning, and Cooking During COVID-19
- Sports, Recreation and Being Active During COVID-19
- Resources for Those Pregnant and Parenting During COVID-19
- Older Adults and COVID-19
- Stop the spread of germs
- Information on novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for physicians and health care professionals
- Masks
- Be COVIDWise
- Community Partners and Service Providers
- COVID-19 Resources in American Sign Language
- City of Ottawa COVID-19 portal
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