Final answer:
Even when wearing gloves while changing a diaper, it is critical to wash your hands afterward to prevent the spread of pathogens. Removal of gloves can lead to hand contamination, emphasizing the need for proper hand hygiene, which is especially important for pregnant women to avoid risks like toxoplasmosis.
Step-by-step explanation:
Even if you wear gloves when changing a diaper, it is still essential to wash your hands afterward. The practice of wearing gloves does provide a barrier against potential contaminants, but it does not eliminate the need to clean your hands thoroughly after the task is completed. Contaminants can potentially be transferred to surfaces that the gloves touch, and removing the gloves can also result in hand contamination. Besides, handwashing is a crucial step in removing any pathogens that might have gotten onto your hands during the process of changing the diaper.
Pregnant women are advised to avoid cleaning their cat's litter box or to do so with protective gloves because of the risk of contracting toxoplasmosis, a disease caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which can be harmful to the developing fetus. Proper hand hygiene is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of disease, and despite wearing gloves, washing hands with soap and water should always follow tasks that involve potential exposure to pathogens. The CDC recommends wetting your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turning off the tap, applying soap, and scrubbing your hands, including under the clean finger nails, before rinsing and drying them thoroughly.