We often wash our hands without thinking — before meals, after a dusty commute, or when we get home from work. But for billions around the world, this simple act isn’t guaranteed. And that’s exactly why this day matters — to remind us that something so ordinary can be extraordinary when done right and done by everyone.

The Small Act That Saves Millions

It’s almost poetic — how the tiniest of actions can have the mightiest impact. Handwashing with soap can cut diarrheal diseases nearly in half and lower respiratory infections like the flu by about 20%. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we all witnessed how those few seconds at the sink could mean the difference between safety and sickness.

Yet, for many, washing hands isn’t just about willingness — it’s about access. Imagine this: more than 2.3 billion people worldwide still don’t have soap and water at home. That’s one out of every three people. Children go to school without a place to wash up after using the toilet. Families prepare food without clean hands. And communities battle preventable illnesses simply because they lack the basics.

It’s a quiet crisis — one that doesn’t always make headlines, but deeply affects health, dignity, and opportunity.

Clean Hands, Stronger Futures

Handwashing isn’t just about hygiene; it’s about hope. When children learn to wash their hands regularly, they miss fewer days of school. They stay healthier, learn better, and grow up to lead stronger, more secure lives. Teachers who include hygiene education in classrooms aren’t just teaching kids to stay clean — they’re nurturing lifelong habits that ripple through families and communities.

At workplaces too, the difference is tangible. A clean hand is a healthy worker. When businesses promote hygiene, productivity rises and illnesses fall. Even in hospitals, where every second counts, hand hygiene can be the deciding factor between recovery and infection. It’s the frontline defense in saving lives — a simple barrier against invisible enemies.

When Communities Come Together

The beauty of Global Handwashing Day lies in its collective spirit. Around the world, schools organize soap drives, children sing hygiene songs, and NGOs hold awareness walks. It’s a reminder that while infrastructure and policies are vital, true change begins with people — families teaching children, teachers guiding students, and neighbors reminding each other to stay safe.

Organizations like UNICEF and WHO have been pushing for accessible hygiene facilities, especially in remote and underserved areas. But what really creates lasting change is not just having taps and soap — it’s making handwashing a daily habit. Because once a child learns why and how to wash their hands properly, they carry that wisdom for life.

More Than Clean Hands — A Cleaner World

Think about it: a child who washes hands before eating avoids illness and stays in school. A mother who practices good hygiene keeps her family safe. A nurse who follows strict handwashing ensures patients recover faster. The result? Healthier families, stronger communities, and brighter futures.

That’s the ripple effect of handwashing — it starts small but spreads far. It’s a reminder that we don’t always need big solutions to solve big problems. Sometimes, the answer is already in our hands.

A Habit, Not Just a Reminder

This Global Handwashing Day, let’s not treat it as just another date on the calendar. Let’s make it a turning point — a moment to pause and rethink our daily habits. Teach your kids to sing while they wash their hands. Keep a bar of soap near every tap. Remind your loved ones that cleanliness is not just about appearance — it’s about protection, love, and care.

When we wash our hands, we’re not just removing germs. We’re showing responsibility — to ourselves, our families, and our communities. We’re proving that small, mindful actions can truly create big, lasting change.

So this October 15, raise your hands — not just to celebrate, but to make a promise:
To wash, to care, and to make every clean hand count.

Because sometimes, the smallest hands can lead the biggest revolutions.

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During the Covid-19 pandemic, people became conscious to wash hands regularly as it was recommended by doctors. However, the habit has gradually become irregular as the world has recovered from the deadly pandemic. Now, World Health Organisation (WHO) is reminding us to keep washing our hands frequently on October 15, Global Hand Washing Day.

What the WHO says?

Since its inception in 2009, World Hand Hygiene Day has evolved from the WHO’s First Global Patient Safety Challenge, known as Clean Care is Safer Care, and is now part of the WHO IPC Hub & Task Force.

World Hand Hygiene Day 2025 was Established by the World Health Organisation (WHO), World Hand Hygiene Day is an annual global campaign to promote and improve good hand hygiene practices in the healthcare sector.

The day aims to create standard operating procedures (SOPs) at the facility level and incorporate hand hygiene into national infection prevention and control (IPC) strategies, following the WHO’s global action plan and monitoring framework for 2024–2030.

It also highlights how glove use affects the environment and the climate, with a focus on waste management and generation issues that result from unnecessary glove use.

A habit developed during the Covid-19 pandemic

It’s very important, especially when you’re coughing or sneezing, or you feel that you have any kind of sick symptoms. This is why we had such a huge campaign for hand washing when COVID-19 came out. But it’s not only COVID-19, it’s RSV and it’s also other communicable diseases.

Although handwashing with soap is critical in the fight against infectious diseases, including COVID-19,  millions of people around the world have no ready access to a place to wash their hands, UNICEF said ahead of Global Handwashing Day.

“The pandemic has highlighted the critical role of hand hygiene in disease prevention. It has also stressed a preexisting problem for many: Handwashing with soap remains out of reach for millions of children where they’re born, live and learn,” UNISEF said.

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आज ‘ग्लोबल हैंडवाशिंग डे’ है। यह दिन हमें उस सबसे सरल, सस्ते और असरदार हथियार की याद दिलाता है जो हमारे पास बीमारियों से लड़ने के लिए है: हाथ धोना! यह सिर्फ एक आदत नहीं, बल्कि स्वस्थ जीवन की नींव है।

हाथों को ठीक से न धोने का सीधा मतलब है बीमारियों को न्योता देना। हमारे हाथ दिनभर में अनगिनत सतहों को छूते हैं, जो बैक्टीरिया और वायरस का घर होते हैं। इन्हें बिना धोए खाना खाने से डायरिया, निमोनिया और कई गंभीर संक्रमण हो सकते हैं, जो हर साल लाखों बच्चों की जान लेते हैं।

कोविड-19 ने दी सबसे बड़ी सीख

हमें इस बात को कभी नहीं भूलना चाहिए कि कोविड-19 महामारी ने हमें हाथ धोने की असली शक्ति दिखाई। उस दौर में, सैनिटाइज़र और साबुन ही हमारे सबसे भरोसेमंद साथी थे। हर 20 सेकंड के अंतराल पर हाथ धोना न केवल एक सरकारी निर्देश था, बल्कि संक्रमण की चेन तोड़ने का सबसे प्रभावी तरीका भी था। हमने देखा कि यह साधारण क्रिया, कैसे एक वैश्विक महामारी से बचाव का पहला मोर्चा बन सकती है।

क्या हम फिर से लापरवाह हो रहे हैं?

दुख की बात यह है कि कोविड का खतरा कम होते ही, बहुत से लोगों ने इस महत्वपूर्ण आदत को फिर से ‘इग्नोर’ करना शुरू कर दिया है। हमने जो सीख ली थी, उसे छोड़ रहे हैं। मास्क भले हट गए हों, पर कीटाणु तो आज भी मौजूद हैं। बदलते मौसम में, फ्लू और वायरल इन्फेक्शन का खतरा हमेशा बना रहता है, और इसे रोकने का सबसे आसान तरीका – हाथ धोना – उपेक्षित हो रहा है। यह लापरवाही न केवल हमारे लिए, बल्कि हमारे आस-पास के लोगों और खासकर बच्चों के स्वास्थ्य के लिए भी खतरनाक है।

आज ही लें एक स्वस्थ संकल्प

तो आइए, इस ग्लोबल हैंडवाशिंग डे पर हम सब एक संकल्प लें। खाना खाने से पहले, टॉयलेट के इस्तेमाल के बाद, और बाहर से आने पर – हाथ धोने को अपनी दिनचर्या का अटूट हिस्सा बनाएं। अपने बच्चों और परिवार को इसकी सही तकनीक सिखाएं। याद रखें, साबुन और पानी का सही इस्तेमाल सिर्फ बीमारियों को दूर नहीं रखता, बल्कि एक स्वस्थ, सुरक्षित और जागरूक समाज का निर्माण करता है।

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Supported by the hygiene brand Savlon, the initiative focused on educating students about the importance of proper handwashing and its preventive power to keep illnesses at bay and maintain overall good health and well-being.

Around 650 primary students from grade III to grade V and 80 specially-abled children participated in the event. The students were actively engaged through a series of activities – interactive demonstrations led by health experts, informative sessions on hygiene, and activities to help students understand the significance of clean hands in reducing the spread of germs and infections.

Teachers and staff also participated with a lot of enthusiasm in guiding the students on the correct handwashing techniques using soap and water. The participating students, in turn, took a pledge to adhere to best practices for handwashing and maintain hygiene to ward off infections and diseases. They also took part in an exciting quiz, further reinforcing their understanding of the importance of hand hygiene.

Speaking about the initiative, Mr. Anil Rajput, Chairperson, ASSOCHAM National Council on CSR said, “School children can be a force multiplier as they will not only change their own habits but will effectively bring about a change in the entire ecosystem that they inhabit. I am pleased to see that under the ‘Illness to Wellness’ campaign, more and more schools, with the Air Force School, Subroto Park being the latest addition, carrying out impactful activities to raise awareness among children about handwashing. By empowering students with this essential knowledge from a young age, the initiative is fostering lifelong positive habits and laying the groundwork for a healthier and stronger nation in the future.”

The impact of this initiative extends far beyond the school walls, as students are encouraged to share their new found knowledge with their families and communities. Regular handwashing helps reduce absenteeism due to illnesses such as colds, flu, and stomach infections, ultimately improving academic performance and student participation. Such interactive events also teach children about the importance of hand hygiene at an early age, establishing a foundation for

responsible self-care practices in adulthood. As handwashing becomes second nature, the likelihood of later health complications in life gets significantly reduced.

Talking about the event, Ms. Alka Singh, Principal, Air Force Golden Jubilee Institute, Subroto Park, New Delhi, said, “Since time immemorial, we have been told by our elders to wash our hands and eat. This has become more important today, as we are living in a world full of pollutants. It is important to wash our hands and keep them clean, as we do many activities through our hands. Handwashing has to be inculcated in childhood, as it will become a habit, which will benefit us greatly. Washing hands will keep us safe from infection and diseases. Wash hands and keep diseases at bay.”

The school’s handwashing activity aligns with global health campaigns and reinforces the importance of proper hygiene in daily life.

With continued efforts, ASSOCHAM Foundation for CSR hopes to create a lasting culture of cleanliness and responsibility among students, stressing the importance of handwashing to become a daily and regular habit for all.

The ‘Illness to Wellness’ campaign was launched in 2014 and remains committed to promoting health and well-being through empowering, educating, collaborating, and adopting of sustainable health practices. Over the years, it has aimed to maximize outreach and impact, from organizing camps and awareness campaigns to holding regular webinars on key health topics and developments – with the clear purpose of raising awareness and providing motivation and remedies.

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On the occasion of Global Handwashing Day 2024, Dettol School Hygiene Education programme, under BSI, engaged 30 million children across 29 states and 7 union territories with the support of 100+ partners. The campaign promoted proper handwashing techniques through participation from schools across the public, private, government aided and unaided sectors, including Sarvodaya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, Army Schools and Kendriya Vidyalayas across India.

As part of the initiative’s continued innovation, Dettol BSI launched the Dettol Hygiene chatbot, Hygieia For Good Hygiene, inspired by Hygieia, the Greek-goddess of Health, Cleanliness and Hygiene. This AI-powered, WhatsApp-enabled Chatbot offers critical hygiene knowledge in 7 languages – Hindi, English, Tamil, Kannada, Odia, Gujarati and Telugu – with plans to expand to all 22 official Indian languages. The chatbot underscores the growing need for self-learning, self-help tools and interactive platforms that foster greater engagement and awareness.

Speaking on the occasion, Ravi Bhatnagar, Director of External Affairs and Partnerships, Reckitt South Asia, stated, “At Reckitt, we are committed to breaking barriers to hygiene education and creating a healthier future for every child. Our long-standing commitment to hygiene equity is aligned with Government of India’s Clean India movement for over a decade, focused on ensuring that every child—no matter where they are—can learn the life-saving practice of handwashing. As we recently stepped into the 11th year of the initiative, our focus on hygiene equity is stronger than ever, supporting our broader mission of ‘leaving no one behind’.”

In 2023 alone, the campaign facilitated over 34 billion handwashing occasions, reinforcing its dedication to promoting good hygiene habits nationwide. The campaign educates children on six critical occasions for handwashing, including after using the toilet, before eating, before preparing food, and after coughing or sneezing, under its ongoing theme of ‘One World Hygiene’.

Padma Shri S. Damodaran, Founder, Gramalaya, emphasized the importance of hygiene education in rural communities, “The Rig Veda teaches that water dispels disease and sustains life. Safe water, sanitation, and hygiene—especially handwashing with soap—are essential to prevent illness. Through the Global Handwashing campaign, Dettol Banega Swasth India and Gramalaya aim to teach 1 crore children handwashing techniques for better health and hygiene.”

Mohammad Asif, Executive Director, Plan India, stated, “Handwashing with soap is a basic right and necessity for all children and people. At Plan India, we continue to work towards ensuring every child, every family, and every community has access to hygiene facilities and awareness so that no one is left behind. Let’s join hands to create a healthy, hygiene-conscious country where every individual thrives.”

Sanjeev Dham, Deputy CEO, MAMTA HIMC, said, “As we celebrate Global Handwashing Day, we at Mamta HIMC are delighted to be part of the Dettol Banega Swasth India Campaign, a collective effort to promote hygiene education in schools Reckitt supports. Together, we are empowering the next generation to understand that clean hands are a powerful tool in the fight against disease—let’s wash our hands and spread the word! Let’s make hygiene a habit for everyone.”

Dettol Banega Swasth India remains committed to promoting health equity by providing hygiene resources to underserved communities through engaging and culturally relevant initiatives. As Global Handwashing Day 2024 comes to a close, Gramalaya, in collaboration with Dettol BSI, has launched a nationwide campaign to involve 1 crore children in schools, spreading hygiene awareness across all sections of society. To participate in the movement, simply give a missed call to the toll-free number 18001236848 from your WhatsApp-enabled mobile phone.

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In 2008, the first World Handwashing Day was celebrated in more than 70 nations. More than 120 million children across the world participated that year. All children washed their hands with soap. Since then, people are observing the day to spread awareness about “washing hands, build sinks and tippy taps, and demonstrate the simplicity and value of clean hands.”

Global Handwashing Day 2024

Washing hands before eating have always been a way to maintain cleanliness. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of hand washing was highlighted to prevent the spread of the disease. However, as the memories of the pandemic start to fade, people are starting to fall back on old habits. Therefore, the theme of Global Handwashing Day 2024 is: “Why are clean hands still important?”

Handwashing to prevent the spread of communicable diseases

A number of infectious diseases can be spread from one person to another by contaminated hands. Some of these diseases are listed below.

Noroviruses

Norovirus is the most common cause of viral gastroenteritis in humans and it can affect people of all ages. It’s transmitted when people don’t wash their hands and worryingly, they can spread very quickly within large groups of people in close quarters. This is why when one person gets ill, entire households or offices often catch it too.

The best way to stop noroviruses from spreading or occurring in the first place is to wash your hands thoroughly after using the bathroom, before preparing food and to avoid touching your nose and mouth.

Respiratory Illnesses

Respiratory illnesses are usually spread via droplets that are breathed, sneezed or coughed into the air by someone who has the illness. While sneezing and coughing help to spread illnesses, poor hand washing techniques are a big culprit as well.

Common respiratory illnesses caused by poor hand hygiene include the common cold, influenza, chickenpox and meningitis.

Nosocomial infections

We often hear of infections being transmitted in hospitals and this is often the result of staff and patients not washing their hands. Naturally, there’s a huge amount of infections present in hospitals and if staff don’t wash their hands between seeing patients or if people with an infection aren’t practising good hand hygiene, they can very easily pass their illness onto others.

Some of the most common nosocomial infections which can be spread by germs and bacteria on our hands include MRSA and E.coli.

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is a viral infection that can cause severe symptoms including problems with the liver, jaundice, abdominal pain, fever and fatigue. It’s often spread via food that has been contaminated by people preparing it who haven’t washed their hands after using the bathroom.

According to the Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, UK,  digesting even microscopic traces of contaminated faecal matter can cause transmission of the disease. Practicing good hand washing techniques is one of the easiest and most effective ways of preventing illnesses from spreading. This is something that is particularly important in the workplace where large groups of people can catch the same infection

Handwashing to battle the rise in antibiotic resistance

Preventing sickness reduces the number of antibiotics people use and the likelihood that antibiotic resistance will develop. Handwashing can prevent about 30% of diarrhoea-related sicknesses and about 20% of respiratory infections (e.g., colds). Antibiotics often are prescribed unnecessarily for these health issues. Reducing the number of these infections by washing hands frequently helps prevent the overuse of antibiotics—the single most important factor leading to antibiotic resistance around the world. Handwashing can also prevent people from getting sick with germs that are already resistant to antibiotics and that can be difficult to treat.

Statistics that Highlight How Not washing hands harms children around the world

1. About 1.8 million children under the age of 5 die each year from diarrheal diseases and pneumonia, the top two killers of young children around the
world.

2. Handwashing with soap could protect about 1 out of every 3 young children who get sick with diarrhoea and almost 1 out of 5 young children with respiratory infections like pneumonia.

3. Although people around the world clean their hands with water, very few use soap to wash their hands. Washing hands with soap removes germs much more effectively.

4. Handwashing education and access to soap in schools can help improve attendance.

5. Good handwashing early in life may help improve child development in some settings.

6. Estimated global rates of handwashing after using the toilet are only 19% as of 2020.

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Every year, Global Handwashing Day is celebrated on the 15th of October. The purpose of this campaign is to encourage people across the world to improve their handwashing habits.

To mark the occasion, Amit Konlade, Leader, Global SCM and Operations, SATO (a social enterprise by Lixil that makes affordable sanitation and hygiene solutions) talks to The CSR Journal about the role played by the pandemic in improving handwashing habits.

How the pandemic has changed handwashing habits

Talking about how the Covid- 19 pandemic has changed handwashing habits, Amit Konlade shared, “The pandemic played a key role in highlighting the many benefits associated with regular handwashing and accelerated the adoption of safe handwashing techniques across the globe. Further, participation from private players by way of campaigns and awareness drives informed and educated us about the benefits of hand hygiene even in remote villages. This resulted in the positive behavioural change that proponents of social health had been waiting for.”

“However, the pandemic also drew attention to the need for innovation and collaboration to enable a more positive behavioural change. The need of the hour is products that are innovative, affordable, easy to use and purposefully designed for communities that do not have access to hand washing stations,” he added.

The pandemic taught us benefits of washing hands frequently

“The Covid- 19 pandemic emphasised the benefits of regular handwashing and it pushed people to take handwashing seriously. it pushed people to be mindful of when to necessarily wash hands. At first, this was a deliberate effort, but as time went by, people got indoctrinated to washing hands frequently. As a result, it became almost involuntary and became a part of people’s everyday lives.” said the SATO leader.

Encouraging children to wash hands at regular intervals

Talking about how he encouraged children at home and in his neighbourhood to wash their hands at regular intervals during the pandemic, he revealed, “Children can be quite a challenge in making them learn hand washing and its benefits. Fortunately, the design of SATO Tap (a water-efficient portable handwashing station) comes to rescue. It has been engineered from the ground-up to be easy to use and results in minimal wastage of water. My 4-year-old daughter was among the early testers of SATO Tap when it was being developed. She was quick to learn how to use it and thoroughly liked using it.”

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In line with this year’s theme forGlobal Handwashing Day, ‘Unite for Universal Hand Hygiene’ BSI focused on sensitizing students and teachers on the importance of healthy handwashing habits that can unite communitiesin the fight against diseases through School Hygiene Education Program. The intervention also identified handwashing agents – children from each district who will champion the message on handwashing amongst their peers.

In Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh more than two lakhs school children washed hands together at the ring of the Swachhata bell, before starting their mid-day meal on October 15, setting one of aunique record in the country.

Global Handwashing Day was celebrated in the presence of Yugal Kishor Pant, District Magistrate, Uddham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand, R C Arya, Chief Education Officer, Uddham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand and Vishal Mishra, Chief Development Officer, Uddham Singh Nagarin Uttarakhand, Dr. Dinesh Chandra, District Magistrate, Bahraich, Rakesh Rathore, Minister of State, Uttar Pradesh, Shiv Pratap Shukla, MLA, Gorakhpur, Dr Umesh Shukla, Additional Education Director, Varanasi graced the events in districts of Uttar Pradesh, and Tarkeshwar Prasad Bhagat, Ex-Deputy Chief Minister, Bihar attended the event in Bihar.

Tarkeshwar Prasad, Ex-Deputy Chief Minister, Bihar said, “Hand hygiene is an essential aspect of a healthy life, especially in today’s challenging times where we are still battling COVID-19. This is also important for children, senior citizens and people ailing with comorbidities. Proper hand hygiene is the most effective way to protect yourself/oneself from the coronavirus outbreak as it reduces the risk of infection by a huge margin. WHO’s global recommendations include making hand hygiene an essential part of one’s behaviour to control and combat the COVID-19 pandemic. To spread the importance of hand hygiene amongst the masses, Global Handwash Day is celebrated globally on October 15.”

Yugal Kishor Pant, District Magistrate,Uddham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand said, “Any small, good habit once implemented, can change your life.If we wash our hands well daily, then it can protect us from many different diseases which can cause us immense pain and discomfort in our day-to-day life.Dettol India is making a great initiative on this Global Handwashing Day to promote the importance of this very small but one of the important habits of our life.”

Rakesh Rathore ‘Guru’, State Minister Urban Development, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh, said, “Dettol India is running a cleanliness program in schools. Cleanliness is the only way to keep all the diseases away. Children are learning total cleanliness in their school. They will also spread these good habits in their family and neighbours. I hope that this program will make the Swachh Bharat Mission meaningful. My best wishes to the officials and team of Dettol for this commendable program.”

Commenting on the celebration, Ravi Bhatnagar, Director, External Affairs & Partnerships SOA, Reckitt said, “At Reckitt, we are dedicated to leaving no one behind and creating a healthier tomorrow by working towards educating and encouraging children and adults about hand hygiene. Dettol Banega Swasth India celebrated Global Handwashing Day across the states to ensure that this day is marked as one of the most important day to provide behavioral nudges in thousands of schools and millions of children and brings one step closer towards sensitizing children and teachers to inculcate healthy handwashing habits. The celebration takes us closer tocreating an aware community through future leaders.”

Mohammed Asif, Executive Director, Plan India said, “Partnership between PLAN India and Reckitt has helped in improving the lives of millions of children and young people. With an aim to empower local communities to drive impactful behavior change, we celebrated Global Handwashing Day in schools across our interventional districts.Through our initiatives, we are consistently engaging and educating children on health and hygiene practices to build a healthy nation.”

In an effort to encourage people to wash their hands with soap, multiple interactive and engaging activities were conducted with the students as well as the teachers. The celebration witnessed drawing and poster-makingcompetition for school students which was followed by the Swachhata song, Nukkad Natak around the handwashing and hygiene theme ‘Unite for Universal Hand Hygiene.’

During the celebration, relay race was also conducted for the school children. In addition, to educate children and adults about the benefits of handwashing, Hygiene Buddy Kits, Dettol soaps and sanitizer were distributed. Through it’s efforts such Dettol Hygiene Olympiad which reached out to 10 million kids across the nation and launch of Dettol comics on Global Handwashing Day 2022 , where beloved characters like Chacha Chowdhury and Shaktiman talks about importance of handwashing, Dettol Banega Swasth India has been relentlessly pursuing handwashing as one of the key practices to make children healthier.

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In 2008, the first World Handwashing Day was celebrated in more than 70 nations. More than 120 million children across the world participated that year. All children washed their hands with soap. Since then, people are observing the day to spread awareness about “washing hands, build sinks and tippy taps, and demonstrate the simplicity and value of clean hands.”

Global Handwashing Day 2021

While washing hands before eating have always been a way to maintain cleanliness, now with the raging pandemic, handwashing has become a mandate not only before eating but at all times prior to touching eyes, nose, mouth or face. In line with this, the theme for Global Handwashing Day 2021 is “Our Future is at Hand – Let’s Move Forward Together.”

Handwashing to prevent the spread of communicable diseases

A number of infectious diseases can be spread from one person to another by contaminated hands. Some of these diseases are listed below.

Noroviruses

Norovirus is the most common cause of viral gastroenteritis in humans and it can affect people of all ages. It’s transmitted when people don’t wash their hands and worryingly, they can spread very quickly within large groups of people in close quarters. This is why when one person gets ill, entire households or offices often catch it too.

The best way to stop noroviruses from spreading or occurring in the first place is to wash your hands thoroughly after using the bathroom, before preparing food and to avoid touching your nose and mouth.

Respiratory Illnesses

Respiratory illnesses are usually spread via droplets that are breathed, sneezed or coughed into the air by someone who has the illness. While sneezing and coughing help to spread illnesses, poor hand washing techniques are a big culprit as well.

Common respiratory illnesses caused by poor hand hygiene include the common cold, influenza, chickenpox and meningitis.

Nosocomial infections

We often hear of infections being transmitted in hospitals and this is often the result of staff and patients not washing their hands. Naturally, there’s a huge amount of infections present in hospitals and if staff don’t wash their hands between seeing patients or if people with an infection aren’t practising good hand hygiene, they can very easily pass their illness onto others.

Some of the most common nosocomial infections which can be spread by germs and bacteria on our hands include MRSA and E.coli.

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is a viral infection that can cause severe symptoms including problems with the liver, jaundice, abdominal pain, fever and fatigue. It’s often spread via food that has been contaminated by people preparing it who haven’t washed their hands after using the bathroom.

According to the Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, UK,  digesting even microscopic traces of contaminated faecal matter can cause transmission of the disease. Practicing good hand washing techniques is one of the easiest and most effective ways of preventing illnesses from spreading. This is something that is particularly important in the workplace where large groups of people can catch the same infection

Handwashing to battle the rise in antibiotic resistance

Preventing sickness reduces the number of antibiotics people use and the likelihood that antibiotic resistance will develop. Handwashing can prevent about 30% of diarrhoea-related sicknesses and about 20% of respiratory infections (e.g., colds). Antibiotics often are prescribed unnecessarily for these health issues. Reducing the number of these infections by washing hands frequently helps prevent the overuse of antibiotics—the single most important factor leading to antibiotic resistance around the world. Handwashing can also prevent people from getting sick with germs that are already resistant to antibiotics and that can be difficult to treat.

Statistics that Highlight How Not washing hands harms children around the world

1. About 1.8 million children under the age of 5 die each year from diarrheal diseases and pneumonia, the top two killers of young children around the
world.

2. Handwashing with soap could protect about 1 out of every 3 young children who get sick with diarrhoea and almost 1 out of 5 young children with respiratory infections like pneumonia.

3. Although people around the world clean their hands with water, very few use soap to wash their hands. Washing hands with soap removes germs much more effectively.

4. Handwashing education and access to soap in schools can help improve attendance.

5. Good handwashing early in life may help improve child development in some settings.

6. Estimated global rates of handwashing after using the toilet are only 19% as of 2020.

The post Global Handwashing Day 2021: Wash Hands to Prevent Communicable Diseases appeared first on The CSR Journal.

The event was held by Sister Kanchan from Bhatia Hospital and saw everyone right from support staff, housekeeping staff, doctors and consultants enthusiastically participating in the event. Each year, October 15th is observed as Global Handwashing Day. This year, the Global Handwashing Day theme focused on ‘Our Future is at Hand-Let’s move forward together’.

The activity began with the Infection Control Staff mobilizing messages across the hospital through posters and slogan competition. The participants had put down their thoughts through creativity and powerful slogans to communicate and spread the message on why it is so important to maintain hygiene of the hands.

Later on, a session was held by Dr Shilpa Naik, Microbiologist to discuss and explain various aspects that hands are innocuous carriers of many microorganisms, some of which may lead to spread of disease in us as well as those around us. Common illnesses that spread due to improper or lack of hand hygiene include Common cold (influenza), Chicken pox, Hepatitis A and E, Norovirus and even Typhoid if hands are not washed properly after using the bathroom.

The team from Bhatia Hospital educated visitors through performances on the exact way to wash their hands to ensure they become clean. They demonstrated proper ways like washing hands with soap at critical times, especially before eating, cooking, or feeding others.

They were also shown other very alarming things that could catch their attention instantly like: ‘You Might Catch More Colds, Faecal Matter Might End Up In Your Food, You Could Get Or Spread Food Poisoning, You’re Infecting Everyone You Touch, Pink Eye Could Rear Its Ugly Head, Your Snacks Will Get Contaminated, You Might Pick Up Hepatitis A, Diarrhoea May Become A Frequent Visitor etc.

Dr. Satyadeo, Malik, CEO Bhatia Hospital said, “The simple act of washing hands properly can lead to prevention of a number of illnesses. So, this activity is extremely important in our daily lives and for us to mark this day as an important occasion. We make sure to follow all prevention and precautions for ourselves and our patient’s safety at Bhatia Hospital.” The entire team at Bhatia hospital then vowed to wash hands frequently and as needed to safeguard themselves and patients from diseases and lead a healthy life.

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