Each year on the 5th of May, people from all over the world celebrate World Hand Hygiene Day. With a crisis going on globally due to the coronavirus outbreak, spreading awareness about proper hand hygiene has become a pressing matter. Maintaining hygienic and clean healthcare facilities & practices has also become an urgent challenge throughout the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) has made it their mission this World Hand Hygiene Day 2020 to bring people around the world together and spread awareness about increasing adherence to hand hygiene in healthcare facilities, so that we can protect healthcare workers and patients from infections like the coronavirus.

Hand washing is one of the most effective actions you can take to reduce the spread of pathogens and prevent infections, including COVID-19. Let’s celebrate World Hand Hygiene Day by discussing proper hand hygiene and its many incredible health benefits.

Routine hand washing is one of the best ways that you can remove germs, avoid infections, and prevent the spread of germs to others. The ordinary act of washing your hands for a minimum of 20 seconds with soap and water is an effective way through which you can protect yourself and others from several diseases and infections. The CDC recommends washing your hands using soap and water, which reduces all types of germs and chemicals on hands. You may also use hand sanitiser containing at least 60%alcohol if soap and water are not available. Here’s 5 recommended steps you should follow to ensure that you’re washing your hands properly each time:

1. Wet your hands with clean, running water, turn off the tap, and apply soap.
2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails as well.
3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. If you tend to lose track of time just hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
4. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

In addition to how you can properly wash your hands, it's also very important to understand when you need to wash your hands to help yourself and your loved ones stay healthy. Take note of these key times when you are likely to get and spread germs:

• After using the bathroom
• Before, during, and after preparing food
• Before eating food
• Before and after caring for someone at home who is sick with vomiting or diarrhea
• After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
• After handling pet food or pet treats
• After touching garbage

We must educate our community about proper hand washing so that we can prevent and reduce the number of people who get sick in our country. Frequently washing our hands with soap removes the germs from our hands and aids in reducing the amount of people who get sick with respiratory illnesses, gastrointestinal illnesses, and diarrheal illnesses. Hand washing is a very simple way for you and your family to stay clean and healthy. It’s an ordinary act that helps prevent infections for the following reasons:

• People frequently touch their eyes, nose, and mouth without realizing, which allows germs to get into the body through the eyes, nose and mouth and contract respiratory or other illnesses.
• Germs from unwashed hands can get into foods and drinks during preparation or consumption. These germs can multiply in certain foods or drinks, under certain conditions, and can cause food poisoning or diarrheal illnesses.
• Germs from unwashed hands can be transferred to other objects, like railings, table tops, or toys, and then transferred to another person’s hands (this is now COVID-19 primarily spread throughout the world).
• Removing germs through hand washing helps prevent skin and eye infections as well

There’s many reasons for all of us to start taking hand washing more seriously, especially now that we know washing our hands can save hundreds and even thousands of lives. Parents and caretakers play a key role in teaching young children to wash their hands. Hand washing can become a lifelong healthy habit if you start teaching it at an early age.

Sources:

World Health Organization:

Centers of Disease Control & Prevention: