+2 votes
in General Factchecking by Apprentice (1.0k points)
The CDC says, "Washing hands can help you healthy and prevent the spread of respiratory and diarrheal infections. Germs can spread from person to person or from surfaces to people." Therefore, washing your hands is important in order to reduce the likelihood of getting sick.

16 Answers

+6 votes
by Apprentice (1.1k points)
selected by
 
Best answer
Yes, washing your hands is good for your health. According to a Reader's Digest article. in February 2023, washing your hands can prevent at least 15 diseases. Our hands pick up thousands of germs, bacteria, viruses, and other harmful substances that can make us sick if they enter our body. We often touch our face with our hands, allowing the germs to enter our mucous membranes, which can lead to infections. Washing your hands with soap and water is a simple way to minimize and eliminate the risks of germs, bacteria, and viruses.  According to a study, only 5 percent of people wash their hands in a way that actually gets them clean. Washing your hands is especially important during flu season and the coronavirus.

https://www.rd.com/article/diseases-washing-your-hands/
by Genius (38.2k points)
Which study found that only 5% of people wash their hands properly? Always fully source your information! Nice work.
by Novice (580 points)
Nice! Just make sure you cite all informations
+2 votes
by Journeyman (2.3k points)
According to this article, washing hands is extremely important to prevent the spread of disease. The article states that washing your hands can prevent 1 in 3 diarrheal illnesses and 1 in 5 respiratory infections like a common cold or the flu. Washing hands can also prevent cross-contamination when handling food. It is advised to wash your hands after using the bathroom, cooking, or handling any form of waste. Each hand washing should last about 20 seconds in total under warm water to kill bacteria.

https://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/wash-your-hands-health

https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/handhygiene/wash/hwfactsheet.html
True
+2 votes
by Apprentice (1.5k points)

This claim is true according to Better Health Channel. "A number of infectious diseases can be spread from one person to another by contaminated hands." People should get into the habit of washing their hands after a number of activities all listed in the article. Washing your hands with soap and water, especially liquid soap, is more affective than using hand sanitizer. 

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/handwashing-why-its-important

True
by Novice (580 points)
Nice way to validate the claim and provide some more info as well!
+2 votes
by Apprentice (1.1k points)

According to Better Health Channel article “Hand washing- why is important”  Contaminated hands can spread various infectious diseases from one person to another, including gastrointestinal and respiratory infections like salmonellosis, influenza, colds, and COVID-19. To prevent the spread of germs that cause these diseases, washing hands thoroughly with soap and water is essential. People with weakened immune systems, young children, and older adults are more susceptible to serious complications from these infections. 

Source https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/handwashing-why-its-important

True
+1 vote
by Novice (700 points)

Yes, washing your hands is very important for maintaining good health. Our hands are in constant contact with surfaces and objects that may contain harmful bacteria, viruses, and other germs. When we touch our face, nose, mouth, or eyes with dirty hands, we can easily transfer these germs into our bodies, which can lead to infections and illnesses.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/hand-washing/art-20046253

True
+2 votes
by Apprentice (1.3k points)

According to BetterHealth, washing hands is a crucial step to preventing spread of viruses and bacteria. This makes it beneficial to the safety of our health to wash our hands often. Proper hand washing procedure is shown, as well as when we might want to consider washing our hands for our own safety as well as others.

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/handwashing-why-its-important

+2 votes
by Novice (560 points)
According to the CDC, "handwashing is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick." This is because people often touch their noses or mouths with their hands, which may have bacteria from public surfaces. Research shows that when people properly wash their hands, respiratory illnesses in the general population are reduced by 16-21%.

https://www.cdc.gov/hygiene/personal-hygiene/hands.html#:~:text=Washing%20hands%20can%20keep%20you,and%20mouth%20with%20unwashed%20hands

https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/why-handwashing.html
by Genius (38.2k points)
It's best to dig deeper and find a source that's not been used within a claim (re: cdc.com). Thanks!
+1 vote
by Apprentice (1.0k points)

Hand washing is an important step to take in order to keep yourself healthy. Touching things such as you eyes, mouth, nose, food, and drinks after touching contaminated surfaces is a very easy way to be exposed to sickness. According to Healthline, "Handwashing can protect you from COVID-19 and respiratory infections, such as pneumonia, and gastric infections that cause diarrhea. Many of these conditions can be fatal to some people, such as older adults, those with weakened immune systems, babies, and children. You can pass on these germs, even if you’re not sick." Therefore, washing your hands is a strong confounder to maintaining good health. 

https://www.healthline.com/health/washing-hands

True
+1 vote
by Novice (840 points)
source: https://www.cdc.gov/hygiene/personal-hygiene/hands.html#:~:text=Washing%20hands%20can%20keep%20you,and%20mouth%20with%20unwashed%20hands

according to the CDC "washing hands can keep you healthy and prevent the spread of respiratory and diarrheal infections"
True
by Genius (38.2k points)
It's best to dig deeper and find a source that's not been used within a claim (re: cdc.com). Thanks!
+1 vote
by Novice (520 points)
According to betterhealth.gov, thy claim that by using soap and warm water when washing hands, helps prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria. While some bacteria is good for the body, most of it causes diseases. Washing your hands can be much more effective to stop the spread of germs than a liquid hand sanitizer.  "A number of infectiosious diseases can be spread by contaminated hands" by betterhealth channel. By keeping those hands clean and dry it stops the spread, which prevents diseases, which overall keeps us healthy.
True

Community Rules


Be respectful.

There is bound to be disagreement on a site about misinformation. Assume best intentions on everyone's part.

If you are new to factchecking, take some time to learn about it. "How to Factcheck" has some resources for getting started. Even if you disagree with these materials, they'll help you understand the language of this community better.

News Detective is for uncovering misinformation and rumors. This is not a general interest question-answer site for things someone could Google.

Posting

The title is the "main claim" that you're trying to factcheck.

Example:
Factcheck This: Birds don't exist

If possible, LINK TO to the place you saw the claim.

Answering

LINK TO YOUR EVIDENCE or otherwise explain the source ("I called this person, I found it in this book, etc.")

But don't just drop a link. Give an explanation, copy and paste the relevant information, etc.

News Detective is not responsible for anything anyone posts on the platform.
...