2019 World Hand Hygiene Day: National Hospital preaches hand hygiene

As the world commemorates 2019 World Hand Hygiene Day, the National Hospital Abuja (NHA) has called on Nigerians to always wash their hands properly to prevent infections.

Dr Kenneth Iregba, the Chairman, Infection Control and Prevention NHA, made the appeal during the commemoration of this year’s day in Abuja on Monday.

Iregba, who is the Head of Department of Clinical Biology, NHA, said the theme of the event is: “Clean Care for all, it’s in your hands’’.

He said the 2019 Hand Hygiene Day commemorated on May 5, was an annual global campaign.

He said the day states the importance of hand hygiene in healthcare and also create awareness in support of hand hygiene improvement globally.

“The hand is the most viable and common means of transmitting infection, there are billions of germs on our hands which cannot be seen with the eyes but if kept clean diseases can be averted.

“Studies have established that about one-third of patients that die in hospitals die from infection, it is, therefore, a huge burden that needs to be addressed.

“Doctors and nurses transmit to patients, patients transmit to doctors and nurses, and it can be acquired from the environment, but hand hygiene could help reduce the spread of such infections.

“The hand is a very valuable part of the body, people collect money, exchange gifts and also eat with their hands but the hand can also be destructive through the transmission of infection which could lead to death,’’ Iregba said.

The expert further called on Nigerians to ensure they keep their hands clean at all times by washing their hands with soap and water and using hand sanitisers.

He further called on health authorities at federal, state and local government to create school health programmes to disseminate information on personal, hand and environmental hygiene in order to break the cycle of transmitting infection.

Dr Nubwa Medugu, Consultant Pathologist, NHA, said it was important for patients, health practitioners and the public to acquire the knowledge of hand hygiene.

This, she said, would help reduce the transmission of infection from one person to another.

Medugu added that in performing hand hygiene, the finger nails should be properly washed, both hands should also be washed back to back while ensuring that every part of the hand was properly washed and free from harmful bacteria.