A tippy tap provides a way to wash hands when there’s no available running water. About two-thirds of households lack access to basic handwashing facilities. Washing hands can cut viral spread by more than 50%.
Handwashing has become a necessary tool to curb infections and diseases in the developed world. It’s a key element in the strategy to stem the spread of COVID-19. But what if you live somewhere with no running water?
This is the reality facing many people in developing countries. Now, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released a video showing how to make a tippy tap that offers a simple, safe way to clean your hands.
The tippy tap is a hands-free device made from simple materials. The only thing the user touches is a bar of soap suspended from a string( Editor’s note: ashes in a small container hang around the ticks by a rope)as an alternative.
As many as two in every five people don’t have access to basic handwashing facilities, UNICEF estimates. People frequently touch their eyes, nose, and mouth without even realizing it. Germs can get into the body through the eyes, nose and mouth and make us sick.
The virus can also get onto hands if people touch any object that has a virus on it because someone coughed or sneezed on it or was touched by some other contaminated object. When these germs get onto hands and are not washed off, they can be passed from person to person and make people sick.
With the COVID-19 pandemic gripping the planet, the WHO advises everyone to oftenly and thoroughly clean their hands with an alcohol-based hand rub, or soap and water. It’s one of the best ways to kill any pathogens that may be on your hands.
Handwashing is considered as a measure in controlling pandemics, according to research. Studies carried out during the 2006 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) suggest that washing hands more than 10 times a day cut the spread of the virus by more than 50%. Tippy taps could make handwashing more widely available, helping to stem the spread of COVID-19 more quickly.
