National Handwashing Awareness Week 

You’ve probably heard it on repeat over the last 2 years in the pandemic – wash your hands! The first week of December is National Handwashing Awareness Week to promote clean and healthy living. One of the simplest ways we can prevent spreading germs is by washing our hands properly and thoroughly. Many reports state everybody should wash their hands for at least 20 seconds (or the length of humming Happy Birthday), using soap whenever possible.

It is crucial to think about hand hygiene because microbes can easily be spread in high-traffic areas, especially when tools and spaces are shared. If you are working from an office, you should clean your work area regularly. Frequent use items such as your mouse, phone, or keyboard can become contaminated over time. Handwashing practices should be commonplace with tasks such as cooking or using the restroom but if you cannot access handwashing, using hand sanitizer is a great alternative to keep your hands clean.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched a campaign called “Life is Better with Clean Hands” to remind people of the importance of handwashing. Proper handwashing can reduce 1 in 3 cases of diarrhea and 1 in 5 respiratory infections. The CDC also created free resources you can print and share with your community.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/campaign.html

Written By:
Sami Chau
Event Planner
MPHI – Education and Training Services