Global Handwashing Day

 While we' ve made significant progress in promoting handwashing with soap , our journey is far from over. Clean hands remain a fundamental defense against the spread of infections, illnesses, and harmful germs. Whether in hospitals, schools, or in everyday interactions, practicing handwashing with soap contributes to better health outcomes and a safer world for everyon e. As the world looks toward key milestones in hand hygiene progress, we urge you to reflect this question, “Why are clean hands still important?” For us, the answer lies in our collective responsibility to safeguard public health, prevent infections, and promote wellbeing. 

On May 5th - World Hand Hygiene Day – the World Health Organization (WHO) released its first-ever research agenda on hand hygiene in health care. The WHO research for hand hygiene in health care 2023–2030: summary provides guidance on the highest priorities for research to gather further evidence on best approaches to improve hand hygiene practices during health care delivery, as well as to accelerate innovative solutions. During the two-years long consultative process with a large group of experts from around the world, 192 research priorities were identified, of which 178 achieved the consensus. The summary released on 5 May lists 21 highest research priorities in six key areas, including impact of communication on health workers’ behaviour, institutional safety climate, and impact of hand hygiene on health care-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). A full document covering all research priorities in the six identified domains will be issued at a later ...