Global Handwashing Day | October 15
“Our Future is at Hand – Let’s Move Forward Together”
Did you wash your hands? Did you wash them thoroughly? Did you wash them with soap and water? Did you rub them rigorously for at least 20 seconds? – are some of the phrases we’ve been repeatedly hearing since March 2020. A simple caution that could avert a global pandemic!
However, it’s not just COVID; hand washing and hand hygiene were and will always be extremely crucial for the hygiene and health of us and others around us. Hence, an entire day has been dedicated to the concept.
Global Handwashing Partnership (GHP) proposed the day in August 2008 that led to the observance of Global Handwashing Day (GHD) every year on 15th October. The day aims to raise awareness of handwashing with soap as a critical measure for the prevention of infections and diseases. It is an individual and coordinated step required at the global level.
Proud proud feeling 😇 – One of the states in India had bagged the Guinness World Record for organizing the most massive handwashing program – Any guesses?
WASH
WASH – a program worth mentioning on this day that focuses on “water, sanitation, and hygiene.” It aims to provide safe water, good sanitation, and hygiene education to and for all. The entire thing is the basic to handwashing and hygienic conditions. It is also driven towards the SDG 6 of UNGA.
SDG – Sustainable Development Goals – 17 in number established by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2015 to achieve specific “goals.”
The sixth goal, i.e., SDG 6 is about “clean water and sanitation for all.” Let’s know and remember this is the fundamental right of every human being (rather living being) born on this Earth!
When to wash your hands?
Practically everything you do apart from speaking or listening (probably) involves your hands in some or another form. Hence, it obviously implies your hands are getting dirty quite often, and also the need to clean them regularly. That said, there are some tasks you do that need thorough cleaning of your hands before/after.
- After handling trash
- Before cooking or eating food
- After sneezing, coughing, or blowing your nose
- Before touching your eyes or contact lenses
- After eating food
- Before and after handling your pets or other animals
- Before and after touching or going near a sick or injured person
- After using the toilet
- Before and after changing a child’s diaper or taking care of their toilet habits
- Before and after entering/leaving your home
How to wash your hands?
Not rocket science, right? I know it isn’t, still below are the steps ☺
- Wet your hands with clean tap water
- Close the tap (ensure it stays closed during points 3 and 4 below)
- Apply soap on your wet hands
- Rub well and thoroughly for around 20 seconds – make sure it covers the entire hand, wrists, fingernails, and space between your fingers
- Open the tap
- Rinse well
- Close the tap
- Dry your hands
These simple steps could help prevent the occurrence of deadly infections and diseases. Diarrhea is one such disease that is most widespread and life-threatening, killing about 700,000 children every year, and all due to lack of appropriate cleanliness.
What are other measures for hand hygiene?
Hand sanitizing! Yes, that’s the answer.
The need of the hour is to carry handy sanitizers along and use them per the requirement, specifically in circumstances that don’t allow the use of soap and water. A bonus would be a sanitizer that meets all your hygiene needs without leaving anything for you to worry about!
HINT– The year was 2014. Yes! You can do it now – fill in the comments section with your answers.
Let’s aim for a #SwachhBharat with our #SwachhHands!
Avani Raj Arora
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