While Aussies were on their A-game for quite some time, in regard to hand hygiene, they’re now slipping!
This is according to research included in the Dettol Winter Hygiene Report.
It’s uncovered that despite official advice to stay home, almost 1 in 4 Aussies (23%) would still attend an important work meeting in person if feeling unwell.
Moreover, 1 in 4 (26%) would still go into the office or their workplace if they had the sniffles, and almost 1 in 5 (17%) would attend a social function.
“During 2020, hygiene was front of mind,” says Associate Professor Holly Seale from the University of NSW.
“People became hyper vigilant with hand washing and sanitising inside and outside the home and followed government advice to stay home when feeling unwell. However, with a change in our risk perceptions, our adoption of these strategies has changed.”
She continues, “Whilst the majority of us wash or sanitise our hands frequently throughout the day, as many as 1 in 20 are only doing so once per day and almost 1 in 4 only 2-3 times per day, or less.”
A/Professor Seale emphasises that the issue here is, “we don’t know what this influenza season will look like yet and if we do see increases in the numbers of travellers, we may also experience increases in our flu cases”.
It’s now more important than ever, to remain on our game with hygiene.
A/Professor Seale’s top tips for maintaining hygiene during winter months:
- Always wash hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds, after heading indoors.
- Carry instant hand sanitiser on you and in the car so you can maintain good hygiene practices on the go.
- Always cover your mouth and nose with your elbow when coughing or sneezing, and practice good hygiene immediately after.
- Always stay home when feeling unwell, or if you have a sniffle.
- Follow your local government health advice.
Dettol invites community groups and charities to register for hygiene products:
Regional Director at Reckitt Hygiene ANZ, David Rankine says: “Access to healthcare is a right not a privilege, and at a critical time like this, we understand there is an enormous, undeserved community struggling to access essentials, including hygiene products.
“Dettol’s role is to protect people from germs, so we’ve launched a new mission to get instant hand sanitiser into the hands of one million Australians in need during July.”
Charities and community groups who are looking for access to hand sanitiser can register their request via consumerhealth_au@rb.com.