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Hand washing, nail clipping reduce intestinal reinfection rates
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Hand washing and nail clipping significantly reduced the spread of infectious diseases caused by intestinal parasites in children from resource-limited regions, according to study results.
“To lower the dependency on a ‘drug only’ approach and to enhance sustainability, complementary measures should be implemented that are sustainable with available resources,” Mahmud Abdulkader Mahmud, PhD, of the department of medical microbiology and immunology at Mekelle University, Ethiopia, and colleagues wrote. “Therefore, hand washing is one of the most important interventions proven to effectively reduce the incidence of infectious diseases.”
Researchers conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial to determine the efficacy of hand washing and nail clipping. A cohort of Ethiopian schoolchildren (n = 367) was randomly assigned to: a hand-washing and nail-clipping group, a hand-washing only group, a nail-clipping only group or a control group with no interventions. During a 6-month period, the researchers conducted weekly follow-ups where they encouraged the participants to wash their hands daily with soap, and they clipped their fingernails.
Data showed significant improvement in the health of all intervention participants. Children in both hand-washing groups were reinfected with parasites at a rate of 14% (95% CI, 9%-19%) vs. 29% (95% CI, 22%-36%) in the groups without hand washing. Likewise, 17% (95% CI, 12%-22%) of the children in the nail-clipping group were reinfected compared with 26% (95% CI, 20%-32%) in the group with no nail clipping.
The investigators said hand washing, but not nail clipping, reduced the rate of anemia among participants.
Although the study’s design may not be representative real-world conditions, due to the amount of follow-up and monitoring done by researchers, Mahmud and colleagues said, these findings suggest a possible alternative to “drug only” treatments in regions where resources are unavailable.
“Our data showed that regular hand washing with soap and nail clipping are efficacious in preventing intestinal parasitic reinfections, and thereby deliver health benefits to school-aged children at risk,” Mahmud and colleagues wrote. “Proper hand washing and weekly nail clipping may be considered for widespread implementation as a public health measure across societies of resource-limited regions to reduce infection transmission.” – by David Costill
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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