World Hand Hygiene Day

Background

As part of a major global effort to improve hand hygiene in health care, led by World Health Organisation (WHO) to support health-care workers, the SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands annual global campaign was launched in 2009. 

Every year, May 5 is being celebrated as the World Hand Hygiene Day.

Theme for 2024 - SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands

Promoting knowledge and capacity building of health and care workers through innovative and impactful training and education, on infection prevention and control, including hand hygiene.  

Hand hygiene saves millions of lives every year when performed at the right moments during health care delivery. It is also a smart investment that offers exceptional return for each dollar invested. Clean care is a sign of respect to those who seek care, and it protects health and other workers who provide that care.  Hand hygiene saves millions of lives every year when performed at the right moments during health care delivery. It is also a smart investment that offers exceptional return for each dollar invested. Clean care is a sign of respect to those who seek care, and it protects health and other workers who provide that care. 

• Health care associated infections (HAIs) are among the most frequent adverse events occurring in the context of health service delivery.
• Hand hygiene saves millions of lives every year when performed at the right times in health care
• Sharing knowledge about hand hygiene and IPC is still so important because it is ultimately a very effective way to stop the spread of harmful germs in healthcare.

Campaign objectives

• Strengthen learning approaches to enable implementation of innovative and effective training to empower health and care workers to improve hand hygiene and IPC at point of care with enhanced knowledge, skills and behaviours.
• Promote access to innovative hand hygiene and IPC training resources for health and care workers.
• Raise awareness about the importance of knowledge and learning on hand hygiene at the right times to prevent a range of infectious diseases.
• Encourage measurement and evaluation mechanisms to assess the impact of training and education on IPC standards and practices including hand hygiene, including their effect on the prevention of HAI and AMR.

Source : WHO