GLOBAL HANDWASHING DAY: A Call to Action for a Healthier World

Overview

• Contaminated hands have the potential to transmit a variety of infectious diseases from one individual to another.
• Appropriate hand hygiene prevents up to 50% of avoidable infections acquired during health care delivery, including those affecting the health workforce.
• Patients’ risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) is decreased when they wash their hands.

The State of Handwashing – Statistics and Facts

• Appropriate hand hygiene prevents up to 50% of avoidable infections acquired during health care delivery, including those affecting the health workforce.
• Washing hands reduces the risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) to patients.
• HAIs in adult intensive care units and neonatal infection rates are 2–3 and 3–20 times higher, respectively, in low- and middle-income countries than in high-income countries.
• 1 million of the 4.1 million maternal and neonatal deaths annually worldwide may be related to unhygienic birthing practices, including lack of hand hygiene.
• 1.8 million children under 5 die annually from diarrheal diseases and pneumonia, largely preventable through handwashing.

Proper Technique of Handwashing

Breaking down barriers: Overcoming Challenges to Handwashing

• 1 in 4 health care facilities do not have basic water services, which means that 1.8 billion people currently lack basic water services at their health care facility, while 712 million have no running water at their health care facility.
• 1 in 3 facilities lack hand hygiene facilities at the point of care.
• Compliance with hand hygiene best practices is only around 9% during care of critically ill patients in low-income countries.
• Levels of hand hygiene compliance for high-income countries rarely exceed 70%, calling for additional efforts to improve practices all over the world.

Conclusion

Global Handwashing Day serves as a reminder of the power of clean hands. We can safeguard vulnerable populations and drastically lower the rate of infectious diseases by encouraging hand hygiene. Make handwashing a habit by joining the movement and helping to create a healthier planet.

Also Read – World Mental Health Day: Elevating Mental Health in Professional Spaces

The Medical Bulletin