Safety starts with washing your hands
JOBURG – Celebrate World Hygiene Day by making an effort to wash your hands.
JOBURG – What are you doing to save lives?
Today marks World Hygiene Day, which is a World Health Organisation (WHO) initiative that highlights the importance of hand hygiene in the healthcare sector.
This year’s theme from WHO is strengthening healthcare systems and delivery – hand hygiene is your entrance door.
South Africa will also participate in the WHO’s Save lives: Clean Your Hands campaign which is a global call for healthcare workers which seeks to create awareness about the importance of regular hand-washing in healthcare environments. The campaign will also attempt to notch up a Guinness World Record.
Innovative Pharmaceutical Association South Africa (IPASA)’s CEO Dr Konji Sebati said IPASA and its members fully support the WHO’s call for hand hygiene to become a daily habit for everyone.
“Regular hand washing could prevent many contagious diseases. We should all make an effort to wash our hands for at least 20 seconds – especially after using the toilet and before preparing food,” said Sebati.
She added that, “With the winter season now upon us, hand washing is especially important after blowing your nose to ensure that you don’t pass on bacteria and infectious diseases to others.
“Within the home environment, it’s a good idea to place a bar of soap or liquid hand soap near the bathroom and kitchen sink, and where possible, keep a compact waterless hand sanitiser for travel. Clean hands are not only the responsibility of healthcare workers but all South Africans,” concludes Sebati.
