The purpose of the date is to promote doing it with soap and water as an easy, effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives.
Every October 15, the world celebrates Global Handwashing Day, a date dedicated to promoting this essential practice as an effective and accessible way to prevent disease and save lives. The importance of this day has been accentuated since the COVID-19 pandemic, which shows the need to maintain adequate hygiene to com
Despite its relevance, alarm statistics reveal that 3 out of 10 people in the world do not have basic facilities to wash their hands with soap and water in their homes. This situation is even more critical in developing countries, where more than 60% of the population lacks access to hand hygiene services.
Global Handwashing Day was celebrated for the first time in 2008, with the aim of raising awareness about the importance of this practice. Since then, various initiatives have been implemented, such as the construction of laundry facilities and improvised hygiene systems.
The Global Handwashing Association continues to work to promote knowledge about hand hygiene, generating commitment
Steps for proper hand washing
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends following these five steps for effective washing:
- Wet: The first thing is to get wet hands with clean running water (warm or cold), then we must turn off the tap to start soaping them.
- Rub: Start rubbing your hands with the soap until it foams. Rub the foam on the back of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
- Scrub- Rub: You must continue doing the same movements for at least 20 seconds. The WHO recommends humming the song “Happy Birthday” twice to know when to stop.
- Rinse: Open the tap and rinse Wash your hands thoroughly with clean running water.
- Dry: with a clean towel or outdoors.
