Last year, Singapore recorded a big increase in the number of hand, foot and mouth disease cases.

There were more than 29,000 reported HFMD cases in 2008 - a rise of almost 10,000 cases over 2007.

While the reasons for this sudden increase may not be easily determined, Singaporeans will do well to note that simple hygiene practices can go a long way in preventing the spread of infectious diseases like HFMD, diarrhoea, flu and dysentery.

Yet a survey on personal and household hygiene, conducted by consumer goods company Unilever in 2008, showed that many Singaporeans are careless when it comes to something as basic as handwashing.

According to the survey, where 710 people aged 15 to 50 years were interviewed over the phone, 33 per cent do not wash their hands after using the toilets. Three in 10 do not wash their hands before meals while slightly more than half (54%) do not wash their hands after meals.

And when they do wash their hands, four in 10 do not use soap every time. In light of these findings, Unilever - through its body wash brand Lifebuoy, is visiting primary schools here to teach schoolchildren about proper personal hygiene habits and hand washing techniques.

"Young children often do not have a high awareness of proper hygiene and may not be careful about what they touch," said a Unilever spokesperson. "It is critical that they develop good personal hygiene habits to prevent contact-transmissible diseases from taking root."

Do you really know how to wash your hands?

A thorough wash is a 20-second routine:

Step 1: Turn on the tap and wash your hands. Turn off the tap to save water.

Step 2: Soap up.

Step 3: Rub your hands together while counting to 10.

Step 4: Rub between your fingers.

Step 5: Rub the back of each hand.

Step 6: Now, rub around your fingers and scratch both hands gently with your fingernails. This step helps to clean out your nails.

Step 7: Clean around your wrists. This is the step that most people forget.

Step 8: Finally, rinse off the suds with water and dry your hands with a paper or fresh towel.