Every year on the 5th May, the World Health Organisation (WHO) runs the ‘SAVE LIVES: Wash Your Hands campaign, with a new focus every year. It was launched back in 2009 to promote hand hygiene in healthcare across the globe, since this simple act is the most effective way of reducing the spread of infection.
The main focus of the campaign this year is to raise awareness of antibiotic resistance in the context of hand hygiene and infection control, something that’s particularly significant since incidents involving the almost untreatable superbug, CPE (carbapenemase-producing enterobacteriaceae), immune to some of the last-line of antibiotics available, rose in UK hospitals.
Of course, frequent hand washing is important to combat the spread of all infectious diseases, no matter how serious or life-threatening. As a commercial cleaning company with over 25 years of experience providing cleaning services for healthcare establishments, we’re aware of this more than most.
Keep reading to find out more about the annual ‘SAVE LIVES’ campaign and discover the most effective technique for washing your hands!
Celebrate World Hand Hygiene Day: Spread the word, not germs!
Every year the ‘SAVE LIVES’ campaign slogan changes to raise awareness of different aspects of infection control - this year’s slogan is ‘Fight antibiotic resistance – it’s in your hands’. The aim of the campaign is to protect patients from antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Although hand washing won’t cure somebody who already has an antibiotic-resistant infection, it does help prevent the spread of germs.
‘Experts have warned that antibiotic resistance is a major threat to the world and could turn the clock back on medical advances by making some surgery, such as heart transplants, impossible.’
So, surely the most important question is, what can you do to help fight antibiotic resistance?
Antibiotics don’t cure viral infections like colds, flu, or norovirus. Overuse of antibiotics is a major cause of antibiotic resistance, so you should only take them if they’re the appropriate treatment.
If you’ve been prescribed antibiotics to treat an infection, ensure you use them as prescribed and complete the entire course, as misuse (such as not taking antibiotics at the right time) leads to antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
As mentioned previously, handwashing won’t stop antibiotic resistance, but it will help to protect yourself and others against illness. Below are the steps you should follow to wash your hands effectively (as recommended by the WHO).
Without routine washing of hands and proper cleaning of surfaces, stomach bugs and other viruses are able to thrive (the stomach bug norovirus can survive for days or even weeks on hard surfaces), causing the spread of illness-causing germs.
Healthcare Cleaning Services for Manchester
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If you require CQC compliant healthcare cleaners in Manchester or the surrounding areas, look no further than ServiceMaster Manchester. We provide a range of specialist medical cleaning services such as clinical waste disposal, dental study removal and more. We also offer a wide range of other commercial cleaning services which will help to reduce the spread of viruses and bugs within your workplace. Take a look through our website to see what we do and get in touch with us today!
Sources
Clean Care is Safer Care, World Health Organisation
How to wash your hands, National Health Service (NHS)
