Effect of Microbial Quality of Washing Water on Hand Hygiene Status of Food Handlers in Jimma Town: Implication for Food Hygiene and Safety

Abstract

Leykun Berhanu,1 Seid Tiku Mereta,2 Beje Gume,2 Tesfaye Kassa,3 Gete Berihun,1 Lelisa Sena Dadi,4 Sultan Suleman,5 Dechassa Tegegne,6 Assegid Getaneh,6 Habib Bedru7 1Department of Environmental Health Science, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia; 2Department of Environmental Health Science and Technology, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia; 3School of Medical Laboratory Science, Jimma, Ethiopia; 4Department of Epidemiology, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia; 5Department of Pharmacy, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia; 6Department of Veterinary Medicine, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia; 7Jimma Zone Livestock and Fishery Development Office, Jimma, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Leykun Berhanu Email [email protected]: In most cases, people pay more attention to the microbial quality of drinking water than the quality of water they used to wash hands. This may lead to the occurrence of various foodborne illnesses through the introduction of pathogenic microbes during preparation and serving of food.Objective: To determine the effect of microbial quality of washing water on the hand hygiene status of food handlers in Jimma town.Methods: Laboratory-based cross-sectional study design was used. A total of 150 food handlers were selected randomly for hand hygiene examination, and 150 water samples were collected aseptically from water storage tanks, food handlers used to wash their hands. The samples were subjected for microbiological analysis using standardized protocol. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficient were used to summarize the data and to determine the effect of microbial quality of water on hand hygiene of food handlers, respectively.Results: Among 150 food handlers included in the study, 104 (69.0%) of them were males and 64 (43.0%) of them aged between 35 and 50 years. On the other hand, 64 (42.7%) of the study participants had not attended formal education. About three-fourth of them used stored water to wash their hands, and almost similar proportion of them were waiters. The mean coliform bacteria of water and hand rinsate samples were 4.2 ± 0.8 and 4.1 ± 0.8 log CFU/mL, respectively.Conclusion: The study revealed that the microbial quality of water used to wash hands significantly affects the hand hygiene status of the food handlers. Hence, improving the microbial quality of washing water is important to improve the hand hygiene status of food handlers and consequently to prevent the occurrence of food-borne illness in the town.Keywords: Jimma town, hand hygiene, stored water, food handler, hand rinsate

Keywords

• jimma town
• hand hygiene
• stored water
• food handler
• hand rinsate