New Delhi: It’s small things that make a big difference. Simply washing your hands before and after changing pads reduce the risk of vaginal infections.
Why is it so important?
Handwashing is a simple yet powerful practice that can impact your menstrual and overall health.
Our hands come in contact with countless surfaces and objects all the time, picking up germs and bacteria as they go. If you don’t wash your hands before changing your pad, you risk transferring these germs to the pad and your intimate areas, leading to infections.
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It is equally important to wash your hands after you have finished replacing the pad. Used pads can carry bodily fluids that may contain infectious bacteria or viruses. By washing your hands after disposing off a pad, you wash off these germs.
According to World Bank, more than 300 million women worldwide are menstruating on any given day. An estimated 500 million lack access to menstrual products and adequate facilities for menstrual hygiene management. To effectively manage their menstruation, women require access to WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) facilities, affordable and appropriate menstrual hygiene materials, information on good practices, and a supportive environment where they can manage menstruation without embarrassment or stigma.
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Handwashing for at least twenty seconds is the most effective way to remove germs.
This menstrual hygiene day, let your hands be clean, and your health be protected.
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which in its Season 10 is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In a world post COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental well-being, self-care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
