World marks Hand Hygiene Day while reeling from coronavirus pandemic

The world celebrates World Hygiene Day today while countries are battling the coronavirus pandemic. In today's time, the significance of washing hands and keeping them hygienic has increased hundredfold.

Let's take a look:

 

Celebrated every year on 5 May, Hand Hygiene Day mobilizes people around the world to increase adherence to hand hygiene in health care facilities, thus protecting health care workers and patients from infections.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the theme of this year's campaign is 'SAVE LIVES: Clean your hands'.

It aims to recognize nurses and midwives as front-line heroes who deserve acknowledgement and appreciation, and highlight their critical roles in prevention of infection.

The main goal of the Global Hand Hygiene Day campaign is to recognize that handwashing is one of the most effective actions you can take to reduce the spread of pathogens and prevent infections, including the COVID-19 virus.

Health workers and community members alike can play a role in preventing infections by practicing regular and frequent handwashing.

As part of the 2020 campaign, WHO and partners aim to make hand hygiene a global priority, inspire hand hygiene and behavior change and engage with health care workers in their role in clean care and the prevention of infections.

The Global Hand Hygiene Day campaign also makes a call to action to policy-makers to provide safe work environments for nurses and improve staffing levels.

Additionally, it calls on infection prevention and control leaders to empower nurses and midwives in providing clean care.

The campaign also contributes to the United Nations Secretary General’s Global Call to Action on WASH in health care facilities.

WHO has urge people worldwide to join it in celebrating nurses and midwives around the world by sharing campaign promoting campaign materials available on the campaign website, taking part in WHO's safe hands challenge, clapping for nurses and midwives at noon on 5 May to thank and recognize their critical role in delivering clean care by taking a video or picture and sharing it on social media channels.