Hand Hygiene Day

Every year on May 5 we celebrate Hand Hygiene Day to mobilize people around the world to increase adherence to hand hygiene practices in healthcare facilities. In his media briefing, the World Health Organization (WHO) director-general reminded us that, “Around the world, fewer than two-thirds of healthcare facilities are equipped with hand hygiene stations, and 3 billion people lack soap and water at home.” Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO regional director for South-East Asia, said, “Effective infection prevention and control measures, including hand hygiene, are crucial to ensuring health facilities do not become hubs of COVID-19 transmission.”