Many diseases and conditions can be spread through inadequate hand hygiene as a result of not washing hands. Hands should always be washed:

• Before, during, and after preparing food
• Before eating food
• After using the toilet
• After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
• Before and after caring for someone who is sick
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After touching an animal or animal waste
• After touching garbage
• Before and after treating a cut or wound

Hand hygiene is critical to interrupt the spread of infectious diseases, such as the common cold, influenza, and gastrointestinal illnesses.

For more information, visit CDC's Clean Hands Save Lives!