WATCH: A doctor explains how to make your own hand sanitiser

The World Health Organisation declared the worldwide outbreak of Covid-19 a pandemic on Wednesday with more than 118 000 cases in 114 countries and 4 291 deaths at that stage.

Health officials have urged the public to rigorously continue with the preventative methods such as washing hands frequently, avoid close contact with the sick and educate yourself by consulting credible sources of information about the virus.

Dr Lisa Ackerley, a Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner and Hygiene Expert agrees, saying that the approach not only will help to protect against coronavirus infection, but the simple action of hand hygiene at key moments helps guard against other respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases.

People have started buying hand sanitisers in bulks.

Even those who have never used hand sanitisers are snapping up the bottles, from hand-held items to the massive ones you find in bathrooms.

The spike in bulk buying has created a shortage in the products. To help everyone in need of the sanitisers, Dis-Chem clinics' Lizeth Kruger joined Breakfast with Martin Bester on Jacaranda FM to explain how to make hand sanitisers.

What is the most effective hand sanitiser?

"A hand sanitizer must have some sort of alcohol in it. If it burns - you know there is alcohol in. Soap is the most effective way, however, you must wash your hands for 20 seconds," Kruger said.