During the pandemic, everyone diligently washed their hands. Nowadays many people are becoming more careless again. The Neuburg health department is counteracting this in schools.
During the Corona pandemic, hand washing inevitably became routine. But now some people have become more careless when it comes to hygiene in everyday life. The district office in Neuburg wants to counteract this. A team from the health department is currently touring various elementary schools throughout the district to remind second grade students of the importance of washing their hands regularly – and how to do it correctly.
This Tuesday, medical officer Verena Eubel is a guest in class 2b of the Ostendschule in Neuburg. At the beginning she holds up a red plush toy with yellow spikes in front of the assembled class. “Do you remember what that is?” she asks the class. Of course: “A Coronavirus.” The girls and boys also remember how you can protect yourself from it. Keep your distance, wear a mask and, of course, wash your hands. “With soap,” adds a boy. “Very important,” agrees Eubel. And also When Corona is no longer raging, washing your hands is important to protect yourself from diarrheal bacteria, for example. The medical officer shows another stuffed toy with shaggy hair to symbolize such a pathogen.
Hand washing campaign by the Neuburg Health Department
Such viruses and bacteria can enter the body via the mouth, nose, eyes or wounds, explains Eubel – the pathogens are often transmitted via the hands. To prevent this, you have to wash your hands again and again: after using the toilet, before eating, when you come in from outside or after touching an animal. And it works like this according to the textbook: First you hold your hands under running water, then you rub a good portion of soap and lather your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds. It’s about the surfaces inside and outside, the spaces between the fingers, the fingertips, the fingernails, and you shouldn’t forget the thumbs either, emphasizes Eubel. Adults also often don’t know that jewelry, such as rings or bracelets, is easier to remove when washed.
During the corona pandemic, most people washed their hands in an exemplary manner, reports the medical officer in an interview with our editorial team. But now she gets the impression that the hygiene measures are being treated more carelessly again and their importance is being forgotten little by little. That’s why the health department has been training second-graders since December to build on what they learned during the pandemic. At this age, children’s attention is well developed enough for them to internalize the rules.
Many adults also no longer wash their hands properly
Of course, many adults would also need a refresher course, but the health department’s staffing capacity would not be sufficient to be able to offer them such training, explains Eubel. So the authority concentrates on the children. In the coming year, the schools themselves will raise awareness among boys and girls about handwashing and will be provided with materials from the health department for this purpose. Some institutions have indicated that they want to address the topic in the first grade, says Eubel.
Back in the 2b classroom. The children watch a film about “Agent Blitz Blank”, who fights against viruses and bacteria by washing his hands. Then the boys and girls are allowed to do the work themselves. You have a bowl with water in front of you and some ground cinnamon in it. With a dab of soap on your finger you can “suck up” this cinnamon and get it out of the water – this is exactly the effect you take advantage of when you remove viruses and bacteria when washing your hands with soap. Then the children get a cream with light particles on their hands. The particles become visible in a suitcase with a UV lamp – they symbolize the pathogens. Wash your hands once and nothing is visible under the UV lamp.
At the end, the students receive a handwashing license. The message from a girl for whom washing her hands was apparently not that important shows how much the lesson achieved: “I thought you could just push the viruses into your skin.” She wasn’t the only one who learned a lot.