World Hand Hygiene Day: “SAVE LIVES - Clean Your Hands”

Every year on May 5, the World Health Organization (WHO) runs a World Hand Hygiene Day campaign to promote the use of hand hygiene in healthcare facilities and beyond

Highlights:

• Hand hygiene is one of the most important measures in infection prevention and control
• Even the COVID-19 pandemic also gave us a better understanding of the importance of hand hygiene
• To prioritize hand washing, the World Health Organization (WHO) is promoting World Hand Hygiene Day every year on 5th May

The World Health Organization (WHO) reminds people around the world of the importance of hand hygiene on May 5 every year and calls on all people from all walks of life to join in the celebration of World Hand Hygiene Day (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Pan American Health Organization. World Hand Hygiene Day 2023

Go to source).

World Hand Hygiene Day is a global campaign was started in 2009 to maintain the promotion, visibility, and sustainability of hand hygiene in health care and to bring people across the globe together in support of hand hygiene improvement around the world. The five fingers in a hand was chosen as the symbol of world hand hygiene day (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
World Health Organization. World Hand Hygiene Day

Go to source).

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‘World Hand Hygiene Day observed on May 5th, calls for the joint creation of an environment where hand hygiene and infection prevention and control are valued and taken seriously’
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Fight Strong Against Germs with Clean Hands

Hand hygiene and infection prevention and control (IPC) in healthcare facilities protect the health and safety of patients and health workers. Less than 200 years ago, the majority of experts still believed that diseases spread via germs.

Today, no one believes in the existence of germs. Bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens can be dangerous to us in the present scenario, and hands play an essential role in their spread. Even the COVID-19 pandemic showed the role of hand hygiene in the prevention of disease transmission.

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Traveling amid of Coronavirus outbreak may seem scary. However, following proper hand-hygiene techniques at airports can cut down the risk of spreading deadly coronavirus. Wash your hands to have a safe and germ-free travel.

Promote A Safe and Quality Climate with Good Hand Hygiene

Good hand hygiene not only ensures clean hands but also creates an organizational climate in which value is placed on safety and infection prevention. This can only be achieved by working together.

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Hospital acquired infections (HAI) are acquired by patients and health personnel alike in a hospital setting. HAI can be life-threatening and need to be promptly diagnosed and treated. Major causes are bacteria, with fungi and viruses playing a lesser role.

Clean Facts

• Adequate hand hygiene can prevent up to 50% of hospital-acquired infections.
• 1 in 4 health facilities globally lacks a basic water supply - affecting the health care of 1.8 billion people.
• Even in high-income countries, hand hygiene compliance rarely exceeds 70%.
• In Europe, 8.9 million nosocomial infections occur annually in acute and long-term care facilities (4^✔ ✔Trusted Source
  Minnesota Department of Health. Hand Hygiene for Health Professionals
  
  Go to source).

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Five Principles for Hand Hygiene

1. Hand hygiene is not just hand washing, skincare, and gloves also play a big part.
2. It is also important to clean hands correctly by completely wetting the hands and rubbing them until dry.
3. For healthcare workers, hand washing is not an alternative to hand disinfection; both are important for them.
4. Healthy skin is key for effective hand hygiene and so take good care of your hands.
5. Gloves serve to protect both the healthcare worker and the treated patient from infection but are not an absolute barrier to pathogens.

1. Pan American Health Organization. World Hand Hygiene Day 2023 - (https://www.paho.org/en/campaigns/world-hand-hygiene-day-2023)
2. World Health Organization. World Hand Hygiene Day - (https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-hand-hygiene-day)
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings - (https://www.cdc.gov/handhygiene/index.html)
4. Minnesota Department of Health. Hand Hygiene for Health Professionals - (https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/handhygiene/hcp/index.html)
5. Clean your hands often! - (https://apic.org/monthly_alerts/clean-your-hands-often/)