{"id":9442,"date":"2020-10-13T13:34:24","date_gmt":"2020-10-13T08:04:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviancetechnologies.com\/blog\/?p=9442"},"modified":"2022-05-07T13:46:20","modified_gmt":"2022-05-07T08:16:20","slug":"global-handwashing-day-2020-date-theme-and-health-impacts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviancetechnologies.com\/blog\/global-handwashing-day-2020-date-theme-and-health-impacts\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Handwashing Day 2020: Date, Theme, and Health Impacts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Global Handwashing Day 2020\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

Global Handwashing Day<\/strong> <\/em><\/a>is observed on October 15<\/em><\/strong> every year to raise global awareness on the importance of hand-washing with soap and water. Handwashing is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick.<\/p>\n

History Of\u00a0Global Handwashing Day<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

Global Handwashing Day was initiated by the Global Handwashing Partnership (GHP) in August 2008 at the annual World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden. The first Global Handwashing Day took place on 15 October 2008. The date was appointed by the UN General Assembly. The year 2008 was also the International Year of Sanitation.<\/sup><\/p>\n

Global Handwashing Day 2020 <\/strong><\/em>theme<\/h2>\n

The Global Handwashing Day 2020 <\/strong><\/em><\/a>theme is \u2018Hand Hygiene for All\u2019<\/em><\/strong>, a call to action to make hand hygiene a reality for all. This theme aligns with the new Hand Hygiene for All Initiative led by the WHO and UNICEF.<\/p>\n

The current COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical role hand hygiene plays in disease transmission. The theme reminds us of the need to take immediate action on hand hygiene across all public and private settings to respond and control the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

Hand hygiene must become everybody\u2019s business. It also reminds us of the need to build on the current momentum to make hand hygiene a mainstay in public health interventions beyond the pandemic and create a culture of hand hygiene. This fact sheet provides an overview of what this year’s theme means for handwashing advocacy and programming.<\/p>\n

How Germs Spread<\/h2>\n

Washing hands can keep you healthy and prevent the spread of respiratory and diarrheal infections from one person to the next. Germs can spread from other people or surfaces when you:<\/p>\n

Touch your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
\nPrepare or eat food and drinks with unwashed hands
\nTouch a contaminated surface or objects
\nBlow your nose, cough, or sneeze into hands and then touch other people\u2019s hands or common objects<\/p>\n

Key Times to Wash Hands<\/h2>\n

You can help yourself and your loved ones stay healthy by washing your hands often, especially during these key times when you are likely to get and spread germs:<\/p>\n

Before, during, and after preparing food
\nBefore eating food
\nBefore and after caring for someone at home who is sick with vomiting or diarrhea
\nBefore and after treating a cut or wound
\nAfter using the toilet
\nAfter changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
\nAfter blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
\nAfter touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
\nAfter handling pet food or pet treats
\nAfter touching garbage<\/p>\n

Hand hygiene impacts health and COVID-19<\/h2>\n

Handwashing with soap can help reduce the transmission of a range of diseases:<\/p>\n