10 years ago, in 2009, the WHO launched World Hand Hygiene Day. On this day, the importance of regular and, above all, thorough hand washing should be emphasized once again. World Hand Hygiene Day takes place annually on 5 May. The date also has a symbolic meaning, as it refers to the five fingers on each hand. This day of action is aimed specifically at the staff of facilities such as kindergartens, schools, hospitals and nursing homes.
Washing hands in everyday life
It is not only medical staff who have to deal with the care of patients who have to take care of adequate hand hygiene. It is also important to wash your hands regularly in everyday life for aesthetic and hygienic reasons. By operating door handles, touching stair railings and computer keyboards, bacteria and germs are often ingested, which quickly reach the nasopharyngeal mucous membranes or the eye through our hands and thus into the body. Studies have shown that regular hand washing with soap and water reduces the risk of contracting an infectious disease.
Quote: "Professor Dr. Wulf Schneider, holder of the only professorship for hospital hygiene in Bavaria: "Our hands most often come into contact with germs and are therefore jointly responsible for infection with a virus. Pathogens such as the rhinovirus cavort on the bus as well as on the handles of shopping carts, the elevator button or our smartphone." >> References <<
How do you wash your hands properly?
Many researches, studies and universities have dealt with this question. The University of Regensburg has found in a laboratory experiment that the optimal duration of hand washing is 30 seconds. The water temperature when washing hands is not important for the result. It is much more important to use soap when washing your hands, because only if the hands, fingers and spaces between the fingers are washed with soap, bacteria and germs can be killed by 99.9%. After soaping, the hands must be rinsed thoroughly. Washing hands also includes drying your hands thoroughly, because there can be up to 1000 times more germs on damp skin than on dry skin. For hygienic reasons, it is recommended to use disposable paper towels when drying off.
Washing hands at the workplace
In many workplaces, it is enormously important to have clean hands. This affects, among other things, staff in old people's and nursing homes as well as other health care facilities. In the food processing sector, too, hands must be washed thoroughly before starting work. The reason for this is that many bacteria and germs are transmitted through the hands, which must be strictly avoided in food processing. For this purpose, there are special signs with hygiene hand washing plates that increase hygiene awareness in the workplace and draw attention to the importance of regular hand washing.
Washing hands for better health
The WHO's day of action aims to draw attention to regular and correct hand washing, because this is ultimately a very simple measure to contain the transmission of diseases. The big goal is to achieve better health for all people around the world. The protection professionals are also convinced that regular hand washing is very effective and efficient. Clean hands reduce the risk of transmitting germs and bacteria. This is how you protect yourself, but also others.