While I welcome Ms Lee Wei Yin's suggestions to improve the handwashing culture here ("Why handwashing culture is going down the toilet"; July 26), I believe the real reason behind the increasingly poor hand hygiene is mindset.

Good hand hygiene practices have been in steady decline everywhere. Don't take my word for it - just observe what people do in public toilets.

For instance, when it comes to washing their hands with soap and water, many users just rinse the tips of their fingers, at best.

Hand hygiene seems to have become a casualty of modern times, amid competing priorities.

Children, too, are often seen to rush out of public toilets without giving any thought to washing their hands after using the loos.

Parents must do more to instil good hygiene practices in their children. They must teach the young that dispensing with the washing of hands after a toilet stop is antisocial and "uncool".

Jaap Huigen