speech

“Dirty Hands Across America”

by Holly Sisk

Introduction:

Attention getter: The chicken salad sandwiches tasted great. At least that’s what 50 picnicking Minnesotans thought in the summer of 1995. Then they woke up with, shall we say, severe gastrointestinal discomfort. Public Heath officials traced the outbreak to the food preparer who had changed diapers just moments before making the salad. She’s inadvertently added a new ingredient. As one victim said, “This gives a whole new meaning to ordering the number 2” [laughter]. But ironically the September 13, 1996 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report reveals the food preparer had washed her hands, just not thoroughly enough to prevent infection.

Reveal the claim: Unfortunately, hands that are unwashed or underwashed are a societal epidemic. The October 4, 1996 broadcast of ABC’s “20/20” revealed that each year contaminated hands are the direct cause of over 21 million illnesses and nearly 50,000 deaths. To make matters worse, public facilities, medical professional and society are doing little to change this.

Statement of credibility and good will: I have dedicated much of my own research to this serious issue and I am not alone. Since Health magazine of December 1996 reports that poor hand washing causes more deaths than auto accidents and homicides combined, we must address this public health crisis.

Preview main points: To do so, let’s first see how dirty hands are an epidemic. Next, uncover why so few people wash up, and finally offer some realistic solutions so you don’t get caught dirty handed. (Problem, cause, solution organizational pattern)

Point I—Problem (addresses the need variable): As you might imagine most people aren’t willing to admit they’re hygiene challenged, but they are. And the resulting epidemic can be seen in two ways, the extent of the problem and the harm it causes.

A survey conducted in 1996 by the American Society for Microbiology found that 94% say they wash their hands after using the restroom, but only 60% actually do. Even more disgusting, 22% of men don’t wash their hands after changing diapers. And 66% say after coughing or sneezing the best they can do is…[presenter wipes hands on her clothing]. To make matters worse, this study counted even a splash in the water as hand washing. And remember there’s a gulf between cleaning and actually washing. So at best these numbers are conservative, grossly conservative.

So okay, we don’t wash up. But by golly, our good old doctors do, don’t they? Well, in December 1996, a Georgetown University Consortium, of 40 studies in medicinal hand washing concludes than less than 40% of all medical professionals wash their hands between patients. The harmful effects of not washing up are substantial. The January 23, 1996, American Medical Society Newsletter reveals that doctors’ failure to hit the suds causes 2.4 million illnesses and nearly 30,000 deaths a year. The dirty little secret in American medicine is that patients check into hospitals expecting to get better, but often get worse, because a doctor would not spare 40 seconds.

Now we’ve all heard stories of food-borne illnesses, trichinosis, salmonella, Denny’s. Well, in 1994 over 500 Washington State residents were stricken by the E. coli bacteria. But the story you probably didn’t read is that 49 of these patients never ate the tainted meat. They simply touched someone who had. The February 9, 1996 Wall Street Journal reports that food poisoning cases from poor hand washing results in over 31 million illnesses and nearly 4,000 deaths a year.

Transition to main point II: By now, you’re probably looking at your hands and thinking, ugh…But if it’s so gross why don’t more people wash up? The blame is twofold: societal factors and dysfunctional facilities.

Main point II (causes): As public health expert Charles Inlander told the May 14, 1996 Commercial Appeal, we think modern medicine can cure everything. So the old axiom, “cleanliness is next to godliness” has lost its place. The problem with this mindset is that the May 1996 Journal of Complementary Medicine revealed, most bacteria have evolved to the point that they resist antibiotics. But what drugs can’t kill, simple hand washing can. Additionally, the Microbiology survey confirmed two facts. First, few people wash up. And second, men really are slobs. [laughter]. The September 18, 1996 broadcast of CNN’s “Newsnight” reveals that men are half as likely to wash up as women are. As one man told CNN, “out with a group of guys…we just want to get back to the game”. As his statement suggests, when people are in a hurry, they just don’t take the time to wash their hands.

But even if you want to wash your hands, dysfunctional facilities make it virtually impossible. In an effort to save money many public restrooms have switched to faucets that dispense water only when you press on the faucet itself. But in a telephone interview on January 8, 1997, with CDC [Center of Disease Control] official William Jarvis, explained, “It’s functionally impossible to simultaneously dispense soap, water, and wash your hands-you’d have to be a circus juggler”. And when you go to dry your hands, you face another problem. Those popular handblowers are in fact havens of bacteria. They might dry your hands but they blow disease all over them.

Transition to point III: Now we probably know some clean hands fanatics, who won’t touch doorknobs or shake hands. But you don’t need to be obsessive. The solution to cleaning up our hands will require an effort on the part of the public health officials, public establishments, and the public.

Main point III (solution—included the plan and practicality variables): First, the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has a novel idea. They were installing large hand washing reminders inside of bathroom stalls. Talk about a captive audience. In a telephone interview in November 8, 1996, with Alleghen County health official Susan Smith, she brags of implementing this program. Pittsburgh has seen a significant reduction in hand washing-related illnesses.

But industry must also clean up its act. The March 28, 1996, Health Law Report explains that hospitals that implement stringent hand washing controls see a dramatic reduction in contamination. Unfortunately, less than half of all American hospitals have such programs. They need to get them.

And a good place for regular business to start is to follow the lead of the Atlanta Olympics. If you visited the Olympics you noticed a waterless cleansing system outside of the portapotties. It’s called chlorhexedene, an anti-microbial agent that completely cleanses the hands without the use of water or the need for hand dying. The August 28, 28, 1996, Atlanta Journal reports that chlorhexedine is safe, money-saving, and environmentally friendly.

But in an epidemic, even a concerted effort by government and industry can’t solve everything. We have to take personal action.

The September 18, 1996, New York Times reports that most people who wash their hands don’t do so correctly. You need to wash for at least 30 seconds in warm water and don’t forget the soap. It’s also very important that you be aware where you place your hands throughout the day. We needlessly touch our eyes, nose, and mouth and in doing so we risk the spread of bacteria. Finally, chances are likely that you will visit a medical facility in the near future. Ask anyone who comes near you to wash their hands first. This includes your doctor, nurse, or pillow fluffer. We need to be willing to say, physician was thyself.

Conclusion: Fifty Minnesotans probably thought they were safe, but they weren’t, thanks to the carelessness of a food preparer. But she didn’t realize that dirty hands are an epidemic. Or just few people wash up. And she certainly didn’t realize that a few simple steps can protect our health. American have made many changes on their health over the last few years. We’ve stopped smoking, started safer sex, changed our eating habits. But hand washing is a 30-second procedure that is the number one daily thing you can do to protect your health. If the last ten minutes of reason haven’t convinced you to spare 30 seconds, hey, my hands are clean.