World Hand Hygiene Day
(or the 5th of May 2009 for those who are uninitiated into the world of Hand Hygiene!)
Results of the 5th May 2009
WHO were delighted to announce that they had 4904 hospitals/ healthcare facilities from 116 countries, representing 3.777 million staff and more than 1.5 million beds register their support for spreading the Hand Hygiene message.
WHO Aim for the 5th May 2010
WHO are now setting their sights on having 10 000 hospitals/ healthcare facilities registered by 2010!
WHO launches new website
The WHO launched a new website for Hand Hygiene on the 5th May 2009. There are many new tools available for education and promotion of Hand Hygiene.
Celebrations of Hand Hygiene Around the Nation!
Email us at hha@austin.org.au to share photos of your day!
And finally, a reminder why hand hygiene in healthcare is so important!
- At any one time over 1.4 million people worldwide are affected by healthcare associated infections (HAI)
- The risk in developing countries is 2-20 times higher than in developed countries.
- Globally, there are about 59 million healthcare workers = 100 million hands treating and touching patients, up to 15 times a day.
- These hands can be the mediators of harmful microbes; each touch putting patients lives at risk.