Global Handwashing Day is October 15. And as every year, the day serves as a platform to raise global awareness on the importance of hand-washing with soap.
With the world facing the COVID19 pandemic, washing hands and maintaining hand hygiene has become all the more important and need of the hour. It is also one of the cheapest and easiest ways to prevent coronavirus. Here’s everything you need to know about washing your hands to protect against COVID19.
Everything you need to know about washing hands correctly-Steps to wash hands correctly.
- Wet your hands with water
- Apply enough soap to cover both hands
- Scrub all sides of the hands with soap lather for 20 seconds. Make sure you scrub the back of the hand, palms, nails, each finger properly.
- Rinse thoroughly with water
- Use a clean towel or cloth to dry your hands
Global Handwashing Day: History
The first Globalhandwashing Day was observed in 2008 and held by the Global Handwashing Partnership. It is a day that is designed to foster and support a global and local culture of handwashing with soap, showing the importance of handwashing across the world. It also raises awareness about the advantages of handwashing with soap and water.
In 2008 when Global Handwashing Day was first time observed, over 120 million children around the world washed their hands with soap in more than 70 countries. Since then, Global Handwashing Day has continued to grow or celebrated across the globe. The Day is endorsed by governments, schools, international institutions, civil society organisations, NGOs, private companies, individuals, and more.
Significance/Importance
According to several studies, infected hands can cause 90 per cent of diseases and to prevent them, one should wash hands on a regular basis. National Health Portal of India says, around 47 per cent of diarrheal diseases preventable through handwashing. Near 16 per cent of respiratory infections can be prevented and 1:92 estimated return on investment of national handwashing behavior change program in India. Also, India witnessed 40 per cent reduction in healthcare-associated infections with correct hand hygiene.
