10/15/2025
🧼 Today is Global Handwashing Day 🌍
Why it matters (facts from WHO):
• Health care–associated infections (HAIs) can be reduced by up to 70 % through effective infection prevention & control (IPC) measures, including hand hygiene. 
• However, about 70 % of health care workers and 50 % of surgical teams do not routinely follow hand hygiene practices. 
• Globally, half of all health care facilities still lack basic hand hygiene infrastructure at the point of care. 
• The return on investment is huge: for every 1 USD spent on improving hand hygiene in health care settings, there can be a 7–16× return (through reduced infections, morbidity, and costs). 
⸻
✅ What you can do
• Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use an alcohol-based hand rub if hands aren’t visibly dirty.
• Practice hand hygiene at critical moments (e.g. before eating, after using the restroom, before and after touching patients in health settings).
• Advocate for better infrastructure — clean water, soap, hand rubs — especially in health facilities and schools.
• Share this message so more people understand how something so simple really can save lives.
⸻
Clean hands, safe care— A small act, with big impact. 💧
