​Approximately 30% of diarrheal diseases and 20% of respiratory infections can be prevented with regular hand hygiene, representatives of the National Institute of Public Health said on the occasion of World Hand Hygiene Day.

Hand hygiene is necessary: ​​before and after eating, before and after handling food, after using the toilet, after blowing the nose, after sneezing and coughing, after touching animals, after playing/walking outdoors, before and after visiting/taking care of them. sick person

In addition, according to the INSP, effective infection prevention and control measures, including hand hygiene, prevent 70% of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), being cost-effective both financially and in terms of reducing mortality and morbidity.

World Hand Hygiene Day – an initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO), launched in 2009 – is celebrated every year on May 5, promoting worldwide the importance of hand hygiene.

This year’s World Hand Hygiene Day (“Save a Life: Clean Your Hands”) is dedicated to improving measures to prevent infections and antimicrobial resistance, and to build a culture of safety and quality where hand hygiene is a priority.

“Medical personnel must strictly observe 5 key moments of hand hygiene during the provision of medical care: before contact with the patient, before performing aseptic procedures, after contact with body fluids, after contact with the patient, after touching objects in contact with or near the patient. (…) According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization, we should wash our hands with soap and water for at least 20-30 seconds, if they are not visibly dirty, or clean them with an alcohol-based hand gel in the absence of water and soap. If contamination is visible, washing should last at least 30-40 seconds,” says the NNI.

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