Introduction:
Every year on this day, the world celebrates handwashing and its significance as a key factor to reduce and prevent diseases, especially communicable ones. It also sheds light on the importance of hand hygiene for health professionals to prevent transmission of infections in health facilities. Besides, it is an opportunity to design creative ways to encourage people and remind them about the importance of washing their hands with soap.
This year's theme focuses on the relation between handwashing and building a future free from diseases, since handwashing is an easy, effective and affordable way with significant preventive benefits.
Facts:
- Handwashing with soap helps prevent transmission of many communicable diseases, including diseases of digestive and respiratory systems.
- Handwashing reduces soil-transmitted helminth infections.
- Handwashing reduces transmission of germs from unwashed hands and other things, such as surfaces, tables, toys...etc.
- Handwashing also helps prevent skin and eye infections.
- Handwashing protects thousands of people worldwide from healthcare acquired infections.
Objectives:
- Foster and support a global and local culture of handwashing with soap.
- Shed light on hands as the main cause of spreading microbes and infected people.
- Handle myths and misconceptions about handwashing.
- Motivate patients to remind healthcare providers to clean their hands regularly.
- Educate the community about the importance of washing hands regularly to prevent the spread of infection.
- Educate school children about the importance of washing hands regularly.
- Educate health practitioners about the importance of washing hands regularly to prevent the spread of infection in health facilities.
Official Date:
- Globally: October 15th, 2018
- Locally: Safar 6th, 1440H.
Theme:
«Clean Hands – a Recipe for Health»
Target Groups:
- Health professionals, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists and health educators.
- Education professionals, including teachers, social workers and others.
- School students.
- Health decision-makers.
- Health organizations and associations.
- The public.
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