Published on Oct 18, 2020
Global Handwashing Day Poster : Global Handwashing Day is a day to salute the doctors and scientists who discovered that washing hands can save lives and learn more about microbes.
Global Handwashing Day is celebrated every 15 October, to raise awareness on the importance of washing hands with soap. Currently 40% of the world’s population do not have access to basic hand washing facilities.
This year handwashing has taken center stage as one of the most efficient ways to protect against the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), reinforcing the message that hand hygiene is equally important in preventing diseases and protecting our health.
This day is about taking action to increase access and practice of handwashing with soap so that everyone in the community joins together for hand hygiene and to stop the spread of COVID-19. It is important that everyone, everywhere washes their hands, whenever they have to wash their hands.
Hands must be washed with soap and water for 20 seconds:
• After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing
• After visiting a public space, including public transportation.
• After touching surfaces outside of the home, including money.
• Before, during and after caring for a sick person.
• Before and after eating
This year, the campaign theme “SAVE LIVES: Clean your hands”, is aligned with the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, and aims to recognize nurses and midwives as front-line heroes who deserve acknowledgement and appreciation, and highlight their critical roles in infection prevention.
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
• Engage with health care workers in their role in clean care and the prevention of infections.
Even though hand washing is part of our daily routine, we quite often don't get it right. Did you know that the CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends that one should spend at least 20 seconds scrubbing his or her hands with soap?
As part of the Global Hand Washing Day campaign, we are on a mission to spread awareness about the importance of hand washing with soap, and drive habit change especially among young children.
“The number of deaths of children each year from infectious diseases, such as diarrhoea, are still considerable and represent a significant global crisis. However, the good news is that diarrhoea is preventable, and good hand hygiene practices are one of the simplest measures we can all take to help protect ourselves and our families. Simply hand washing with an effective soap at key times, such as after going to the toilet, and before eating, can go a long way in breaking the chain of infection and preventing these unnecessary deaths.”
