Washing Hands, Saving Lives

15th, Oct 2020

October 15th is Global Handwashing Day, and this year’s theme is ‘Hand Hygiene for All’

Global Handwashing Day aims to increase the awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives.

Did you know, on average, you come into contact with 300 surfaces every 30 minutes, exposing you to 840,000 germs?

Good hand washing is the first line of defence against the spread of many illnesses, from the common cold to more serious infections and the COVID-19 pandemic provides an increasing reminder that one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of a virus is good hand hygiene.

While 95% of people claim to practice proper hand hygiene, studies show that only 67% of people practice any sort of hand hygiene!

With Covid-19 cases increasing in Northern Ireland on a daily basis, we cannot become complacent. To overcome the virus and ensure everyone’s safety today while ensuring better health outcomes beyond the pandemic, handwashing with soap must be a priority now and in the future.

It has always been common practise within a hospital to wash your hands at all times and is described as the single most important tool to prevent the spread of health care-associated infections between patients. Here are some examples as to why handwashing is so important:

Washing your hands helps prevent diseases

It is estimated that washing hands with soap and water could reduce diarrheal disease-associated deaths by up to 50%
Researchers in London estimate that if everyone routinely washed their hands, a million deaths a year could be prevented
A large percentage of foodborne disease outbreaks are spread by contaminated hands. Appropriate hand washing practices can reduce the risk of foodborne illness and other infections
Handwashing can reduce the risk of respiratory infections by 16%
The use of an alcohol gel hand sanitizer in the classroom provided an overall reduction in absenteeism due to infection by 19.8% among 16 elementary schools and 6,000 students

Germs can spread in many ways, from touching dirty surfaces, through to drinking or eating contaminated water and food, to catching germs through droplets in the air released during a coughing or sneezing. It is important to be aware of when you may have come into contact with germs and simply washing your hands will be the reason you have avoided letting them spread and causing infection to yourself and others.