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Poor Hand-Washing Habits Blamed for Spread of Typhoid
Dessy Sagita | November 12, 2010

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JohnnyCool
12:26pm Nov 13, 2010

And what about using the left hand? Ever seen anybody preparing food with one hand?

kales
12:08pm Nov 12, 2010

Absolutely disgusting isn't it. It's the first thing I think of when I shake hands with someone..... have they washed their hands after going to the toilet?

peterR
11:20am Nov 12, 2010

Sorry folks, but Indonesia is not a very clean country, and the people have little clue with regards hygiene. There is virtually no control over cleanliness in warungs and restaurants. More broadly, look at how dirty and polluted the streets, rivers, and beaches are. Check out the concrete waste disposals that serve as refuge bins outside peoples houses, full of raw garbage that some poor sod has to sort and pick-up by hand. Many people seem quite happy to spend their lives up to their necks in crap; completely oblivious to the filth around them. It is hardly surprising that diseases caused by poor hygiene are so common.

AxelCremer
11:15am Nov 12, 2010

You never know who has touched what and shakes hands with whom. I wash my hands before and after. Don't know if women are any better with hygiene. I am not that observant on the issue. Btw BiggusDickus sounds like IdiotusMaximus, probably based on wishful thinking. Happy Days, Axel

BiggusDickus
9:42am Nov 12, 2010

That don't surprise me. I have lost count of how many times men alone go to the toilet and just walk out without washing their hands. Some even do this straight from the cubicles too! Totally discusting and it would only take them a minute to wash them afterwards.

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Jakarta. The failure to wash hands properly was partly to blame for the high prevalence of typhoid in Indonesia, a doctor said on Thursday.

Djoko Widodo, who chairs the Indonesian Society for Infection Control (Perdalin), said typhoid was endemic in this country.

The World Health Organization estimates there are at least 350 cases of typhoid per 100,000 people in Indonesia.

A country is considered a highly endemic for the disease if the figure is more than 100 cases per 100,000.

WHO also has reported that the typhoid fatality rate in Indonesia is as high as 16 percent and that the illness contributes to at least 50,000 deaths every year.

In light of this, Djoko said the attitude of medical staff to washing their hands was shocking.

He said a survey carried out by Perdalin in January found that hand hygiene at Indonesia’s largest state hospital, Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital (RSCM) in Central Jakarta, did not seem to be considered a serious matter among the staff.

“Just 60 percent of nurses at RSCM washed their hands properly after making contact with their patients,” Djoko said.

“The doctors’ awareness of this was shockingly lower. Just 50 percent of doctors working at the hospital wash their hands before and after making contact with patients.

“There are so many germs on our hands. We cannot see them, but they can very easily cause us so many kinds of infections.”

Djoko said typhoid fever, an acute systemic infection caused by bacteria called Salmonella, was just one of the many diseases that were closely linked to poor hand hygiene.

He said typhoid was transmitted by food or water.

Salmonella could be found in the carrier’s stool, which could infect another person who accidentally made contact with the feces and did not wash their hands properly.

Djoko said people who were infected with salmonella showed symptoms including headaches, nausea, constipation and diarrhea.

If left untreated, it could even lead to death.

Djoko said that washing hands properly would significantly reduce the possibility of diarrhea and respiratory infections, as well as skin disease and trachoma.

“And we can reduce the risk of getting this infection significantly simply by washing our hands properly, one minute with water and soap, or about 30 seconds with alcohol-based antiseptics,” he said.

Latre Buntaran, secretary general of Perdalin, said even though washing one’s hands was easy, cheap and had a great impact on health, compliance worldwide remained low.

RSCM spokeswoman Poniwati said the hospital had acknowledged the results of the January survey and changes had been made at the hospital.

Poniwati said the hospital had added more hand-washing facilities, including hand rubs and antiseptic in every room.

She also said that the hospital had been promoting the importance of washing hands properly, not only to the nurses, doctors and other staff but also to patients and visitors.