Short, clean fingernails may prevent you from catching the H1N1 influenza virus! (swine flu)

Swine flu (H1N1) prevention starts with proper hand hygiene! Hand sanitation for swine flu prevention begins with proper hand hygiene. Clean, short fingernails are absolutely essential for good hand sanitation because organic material can easily hide under fingernails. The circled hand in the picture above is a good example of good nail hygiene! An overview of the latests new findings in how ‘hand hygiene’ is linked with the spread of the H1N1 influenza A virus (a.k.a. swine flu, or the Mexican flu): • Is ‘hand hygiene’ still the best strategy for swine flu prevention? • ‘Hand-to-face touch’ is a crucial link to catching swine flu! • Hand washing is a defence, but may not stop the swine flu virus! • More reports on hand hygiene! • Discover the basic principles of proper hand hygiene! A funny and provocative video on how the H1N1 virus spreads:

The anatomy of your fingernail: the nail unit!

The basic function of your fingernails could be described as a combination of: (1) to assist in picking up objects; (2) to protect the tip of your finger; (3) to improve fine-touch sensation; (4) and to enhance the esthetic appearance of the hand! The fingernail is a unique structure whose component parts are collectively called the ‘nail unit’ (see the picture above). Let’s take a quick look at the 10 basic aspects of the ‘nail unit’, which include: • The nail plate (upper + lower picture) • The free edge (upper picture) • The lunua (upper picture) • The cuticle (upper + lower picture) • The proximal nail fold (upper + lower picture) • The lateral nail fold (upper picture) • The hyponychium (lower picture) • The nail bed (lower picture) • The nail root (lower picture) • The nail matrix (lower picture)