With the International Day of Hand Hygiene on 5.5, the World Health Organization (WHO) sensitizes people once a year to the importance of regular and thorough hand washing. The date is symbolic of the two times five fingers of the human being.
According to the WHO, over 80% of infectious diseases are transmitted via the hands. These include the lung disease COVID 19, which is caused by the novel coronavirus. When it comes to the prevention of COVID 19, gastrointestinal diseases or influenza, hand hygiene plays a key role in the prevention of infectious diseases. Because with 30 seconds, a little soap and a clean single-use cotton or paper towel, the pathogens can be thoroughly removed. Especially during the current corona pandemic, everyone should pay attention to regular hand hygiene. This is because viruses and bacteria also adhere to surfaces such as door handles and are absorbed by the hands when touched. If we then touch our faces, the pathogens enter our bodies via our hands.
But when should we wash our hands to effectively prevent infectious diseases? A new video explains this.