Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.
This week on Health Watch, we’ve been talking about infectious diseases and how dangerous they can be - they’re the number one cause of death in the world. While there are vaccinations for many diseases, and doctors are working on new ways to determine the cause of diseases and find treatments, there’s one simple thing you can do to lower your risks.
Dr. Raymond Fowler, an emergency medicine specialist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, says you can drastically reduce your risk for infection just by washing your hands thoroughly and frequently. Germs on the hands can carry and transmit disease, so washing for at least 30 seconds after using the bathroom, before eating, and before and after preparing food can make a big difference. If soap and water aren’t available, use hand sanitizer.
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April 2007
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