World Hand Hygiene Day 2023 | Save yourself, save others: The power of hand hygiene

For hand wash, Use antiseptic soaps, preferably liquid (since soap bars suffer the risk of contamination), should be used, containing 4 percent chlorhexidine (Image: Canva)

Covid-19 has, in the most threatening way, taught us to be conscientious about hand hygiene practices to prevent the transmission of infections and promote overall health and safety. Proper and regular hand hygiene is crucial to prevent the spread of infectious agents and microorganisms, particularly in healthcare settings. A simple visit to the hospital for a cold or fever can have you falling victim to a more serious disease if you don't wash your hands properly or follow hand hygiene protocols.

Once again, with Covid-19 still lurking in our midst, it is imperative to maintain antiseptic precautions. Nosocomial infections (infections acquired during the hospital visit that were absent before admission) can be prevented, with the help of adequate measures and social awareness. On World Hand Hygiene Day, we share with you the history and the importance of this day.

History of hand hygiene

In today's day and age, hand hygiene is common practice, but this wasn't the case in the nineteenth century. The history of hand hygiene, especially hand washing, lies just there. It is a tragic tale of an under-recognised obstetrician. During those days, Ignac Semmelweis, an obstetrician and a graduate of the Vienna Medical School, was trying to treat puerperal fever (also called childbed fever). It was a significant cause of maternal mortality and was said to be a consequence of miasma. Semmelweis performed autopsies on women who passed away even after his best efforts to save them. His keen perception of cadaveric findings brought him to the conclusion that, somehow, the hands of the physicians (soiled in some way or the other) were contributing to the rise in the tragic deaths of new mothers. He then instituted the practice of washing hands for the physicians before attending to the patients, resulting in a sharp decline in mortality rates. His work was not, however, accepted by fellow obstetricians and gynecologists, and they shunned his hand-wash practice. It was long after the lamentable loss of this "Saviour of Mothers" that antiseptic measures were introduced into healthcare.

Broadly divided into three types, hand hygiene includes hand wash, hand rub, and hand scrub (Surgical).

Hand Wash

1. Use antiseptic soaps, preferably liquid (since soap bars suffer the risk of contamination), should be used, containing 4 percent chlorhexidine

2. Wash your hands for at least 40 seconds.

3. Follow the 10 steps of hand washing recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO)

4. Prefer washing hands instead of hand rub/using a sanitiser

5. Washing the web spaces between the fingers is crucial

Hand Rub

1. Use hand sanitisers that have at least 60-70 percent ethyl alcohol

2. Duration of the procedure must be at least 20 seconds

3. Follow the 7 steps of hand rub recommended by WHO

4. If hands are visibly stained, prefer washing them

5. Wait for the alcohol to evaporate completely before consuming any food item

Hand Scrub (Surgical)

1. Usually performed by doctors before surgery with Povidone-Iodine, that helps in maintaining asepsis.

These practices help in preventing Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) as these are caused by microorganisms such as Norovirus, which can result in diarrhea, viruses responsible for causing the common cold, and campylobacter that can lead to food-borne illness, among others. When infected hands touch your face, nose, or mouth, or you cook with infected hands, the chances of transmission of such microbes increase.

Keep in mind that hand hygiene should be performed before and after a meal, before cooking a meal, and after coughing or sneezing.

Lastly, in the absence of soap and water, cleanse your hands with lemon juice, hand sanitiser, medicated wet wipes, vinegar, or even alcohol.