Woi!! Got wash hands or not!?
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We know it, but we just don’t wash our hands KUALA LUMPUR: The next time you shake another person’s hand, just be aware that the majority of Malaysians do not wash their hands after sneezing or coughing. The startling discovery was made in a survey involving 1,000 housewives nationwide in the 2007 Hygiene Council Survey. Malaysian Committee Member and Specialist in Infectious Disease of the Global Hygiene Council Dr Christopher Lee said while 45 % of the respondents were aware of the importance of washing their hands after coughing or sneezing they did not follow through. “It is interesting to note that the awareness has increased from 30% last year to 45% this year. Malaysians also believe that playgrounds and nursery were the likely place to catch an infection (50%) as compared to homes (5%) and more than 60% of the respondents were of the opinion that the toilet basin had most germs in the house." “Five percent thought that door handlers had the least germs,” he said during a media briefing on Thursday, adding that the latter perception was inaccurate. Also present during the presentation was Reckitt Benckiser Malaysia and Singapore’s marketing director Anthony Palmer. Palmer said the Hygiene Council was formed in 2006 and brings together 10 experts in the field of virology, microbiology, infectious diseases, immunology and public health. “The Hygiene Council focuses on prevailing hygiene practices in 10 different countries and offer realistic recommendations to the public on the importance of hygiene in the home and community. Last year, The Hygiene Council released the results from its first survey, which is now an annual one, and we discovered some rather worrying facts and figures regarding Malaysian’s hygiene habits.” he said. |
Reading this quickly reminded me of my ex-boss. Not the gwai lo but a local chinese guy. We would go meet clients together and I don’t know whether he had a prostate problem or what but every time we were at our lift lobby on the way out, he would need to go to the men’s room to pee first. When we reached the client’s place, he would go pee again. When we came back from the client’s place, he would again go pee before entering our office. Ok, no biggie right?
Here’s the problem. He never ever washed his hands after peeing!! :P Never once have I seen him wash his hands! I worked with him for over two years. Can confirm oledi lar. It’s not just a few incidents where he forgot, he just doesn’t practise washing hands. Every time I was in the men’s room with him, I would pretend I wasn’t paying attention to him but I was. He would unzip his pants, pull his "thing" out, give a slight shiver while peeing, when he was done, he would shake it a little and put it back in. Confirm he got use his fingers. Sometimes he would stand in front of the basin but it was to check his hair or correct his tie but never to wash his hands.
There was once where he bumped into an ex-colleague of his on the way out, "Waaah! Very long time never see you. Ho boh?" and they shook hands. In my mind I was thinking that guy sure kena nombor wan. :P Every time I was waiting for the client in the waiting area, I would always remind myself in my mind, "Must shake hands with the client first. Must shake hands with the client first".
He also used to like to put his hand on my shoulder, "How did you feel about the meeting? You think we can close the deal?". All I could think of was "Woi!! Got wash hands or not!?". After a few times, he stopped putting his hands on my shoulder. :)
