PGI to Celebrate World Hand Hygiene Day on 5th May

By 121 News

Chandigarh 04^th May:- World Health Organisation (WHO), every year, celebrates 5^thMay as World Hand Hygiene Day. On the 10^th anniversary of the WHO campaign, PGI Chandigarh will be celebrating this special occasion on a big scale in the form of a hand hygiene week from 4^th to 9^th May. A number of activities have been planned by PGI to raise awareness about the need for hand hygiene in hospitals. The World Health Organisation had launched a global campaign called "Clean Care is Safer Care" a decade ago with the intention of making the cleaning of hands a social epidemic. The theme for this year's World Hand Hygiene Day is "Strengthening health care systems and delivery-hand hygiene is your entrance door". Patients get admitted to a hospital for the treatment of their diseases. Unfortunately, many of them acquire what are called "healthcare associated infections" or nosocomial infections during their hospital stay. These infections are acquired from the hospital environment and are often attributed to germs that are spread by the unclean hands of hospital personnel. Healthcare associated infections are a worldwide problem and result in huge expenses on expensive antibiotics, unnecessary tests, prolongation of hospital stay and increase in mortality. If all doctors, nurses, hospital staff and relatives of patients were to meticulously clean their hands before and after touching each and every patient on every occasion it would result in a marked decrease in hospital-acquired infections and the savingof thousands of lives.There are 2 simple methods for cleaning hands- either apply a 70% alcohol-based handrub for 20 to 30 seconds or wash visibly soiled hands with soap and running water for 40 to 60 seconds.