The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is set to publish guidelines urging teachers to demonstrate proper hand washing techniques to schoolchildren using soap and water to fight drug-resistant bacteria. Teachers should also provide age-appropriate lessons when antibiotic drugs are unnecessary.
NICE said that proper hand-washing involves three steps:
Step 1: Wet hands under tepid running water before applying the soap
Step 2: Coat all surfaces of the hands with the soap and rub them together vigorously for 10-15 seconds, paying particular attention to the fingers, thumbs and areas between the fingers, then rinse thoroughly
Step 3: Dry with good quality paper towels
It added that everybody, both children and adults, must always wash their hands after using the toilet, before eating, before touching the eyes or mouth, and after handling animals.
Last month, NICE published guidelines for medical professionals on prescribing antibiotics even when not necessary.