What is World Hygiene Day?
World Hygiene Day, also known as World Hand Hygiene Day, is a day celebrated every year on May 5, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of hand hygiene and promote its improvement worldwide. The day is organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as part of its “Save Lives: Clean Your Hands” campaign.
Why is World Hygiene Day celebrated?
The main goal of World Hygiene Day is to highlight the importance of hand hygiene in preventing infections. Good hand hygiene is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as influenza, norovirus and COVID-19. During the day, we aim to:
- To increase awareness of the importance of hand hygiene.
- To encourage healthcare professionals and the public to improve their hand hygiene practices.
- To promote the use of handwashing and hand sanitizer, especially in healthcare environments.
History of World Hygiene Day
The World Health Organization (WHO) launched World Hygiene Day in 2009 as part of its “First Global Patient Safety Challenge: Clean Care is Safer Care”. The goal of this program is to improve patient safety and reduce healthcare-associated infections worldwide.
How to participate in World Hygiene Day?
You can participate in World Hygiene Day in many different ways, such as:
- By spreading information about the importance of hand hygiene on social media and other communication channels.
- By organizing training events and workshops on hand hygiene.
- Encouraging workplaces, schools and communities to improve their hand hygiene practices.
- By participating in WHO campaigns and events.
Sources
You can find more information about World Hygiene Day and hand hygiene from the following sources:
