The simple act of washing our hands is something most of us do every day without much thought. Yet a new exhibit at the David J. Sencer Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Museum demonstrates there really is an art to keeping our hands clean.
The exhibit underscores the importance of hand washing to prevent flu, the scourge that hospitalizes an estimated 200,000 and can kill 3,000 to 49,000 Americans a year, the CDC says.
Amber Owens, a seventh-grader at Atlanta’s Path Academy, visiting the CDC museum this week, stood in awe in front of 1,500 white porcelain bars of soap, piled high.
“I am actually inspired to wash my hands,” Amber said. Six artists, including two from Georgia, use bright vinyl circles, porcelain, acrylics and graphic design to take a fresh look at the mundane task of turning on the faucet and rubbing soap into a lather.
The exhibit is part of a two-pronged message from the CDC aimed at helping people stay well as the flu season approaches.
The other is urging Americans, especially children and the elderly, to get a preventive flu shot. The CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older get a flu shot.
Tom Skinner, a CDC spokesman, said while the flu season typically begins in October and peaks in January or February, now is an ideal time to get a flu shot. It takes a couple of weeks for your body to develop antibodies to be protected. He said this year’s flu shot is expected to be a good match for the viruses circulating. And manufacturers are expected to produce 160 million doses — plenty for everyone who wants to get a vaccine. Skinner said that while some people may feel soreness at the injection site or a low-grade fever, these are rare side effects of getting a flu shot. One thing the flu shot does not do is give you the flu, he said.
Skinner said flu vaccination rates are on the rise and about 41 percent of Georgians 6 months and older got a flu shot last year. Less than half of people get the flu shot at a doctor’s office. Many get it at a drugstore in their local grocery store while doing their shopping.
Flu and illness prevention is also the theme of the CDC museum’s hand-washing exhibit.
In the exhibit “Watching Hands: Artists Respond to Keeping Well,” Athens artist Didi Dunphy uses lime green and orange circles with images of sinks and bubbles to put a spotlight on the importance of hand washing. (Her designs are even printed on paper towels in a hands-free paper dispenser, allowing visitors to take home a souvenir.)
Atlanta artist Joe Peragine’s 16 canvases feature hands and suds; one piece features a sink drain.
“I really want people to think about hand washing in a new way,” said Judy Gantt, director of the CDC museum. “I want people to really understand hand washing prevents disease and promotes wellness.”
Washing hands may seem like a given, but it’s often not done properly. Washing your hands is one of the most effective ways to avoid getting sick and spreading germs. And while a lot is at stake (everything from influenza to E. coli can be spread through germs on hands), several studies show Americans are lax about lathering up.
Mothers everywhere would be horrified by a 2010 study for the American Society for Microbiology and the American Cleaning Institute. Researchers who spied on people using public restrooms found about 23 percent of men didn’t wash their hands after using the bathroom. Women were cleaner, with 7 percent of those spied skipping this basic step of good hygiene, according to the study. Men were at their worst at Atlanta’s Turner Field, where only 65 percent washed their hands after using the bathroom.
Gantt said the recent H1N1 influenza scare really got people washing their hands, and researchers believe the practice helped minimize the spread of the virus.
The exhibit on hand washing, which is free and lasts until Jan. 13, is sponsored by Georgia Pacific Professional, which contributed $107,000 toward the exhibit.
William Sleeper, president, North America, Washroom and Wiper Solutions for Georgia-Pacific Professional, said offering free flu shots and encouraging good hand washing go hand in hand. From talking about the importance of hand washing, to doing demonstrations on the proper technique for keeping your hands germs-free, Sleeper said the company is taking its products, and the message behind it, very seriously. The CDC exhibit is just one more step in that direction, he said.
About the Author
