Every year WHO joins governments, health workers and partners in promoting clean hands, as a key intervention for preventing the spread of healthcare-associated infections.
This year the theme is 'It’s in your hands – prevent sepsis in health care.'
Health care-associated infections, infections acquired during health care delivery, are a risk factor for developing sepsis . Effective hand hygiene plays a key role in their prevention.
5 May 2018 calls to action
Health workers: “Take 5 Moments to clean your hands to prevent sepsis in health care."
IPC leaders: “Be a champion in promoting hand hygiene to prevent sepsis in health care.”
Health facility leaders: "Prevent sepsis in health care, make hand hygiene a quality indicator in your hospital.”
Ministries of health: "Implement the 2017 World Health Assembly sepsis resolution. Make hand hygiene a national marker of health care quality."
Patient advocacy groups: "Ask for 5 Moments of clean hands to prevent sepsis in health care."
Activities
In Sierra Leone, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation plans to commemorate the event with healthcare workers, to help raise awareness on sepsis prevention and the role of hand hygiene.
You too can get involved. We call on health workers and pharmacists to help organise events at your health facility or hospital, or support our outreach and campaigns.
Remember, hand hygiene saves lives.
Find out more:
http://www.who.int/infection-prevention/campaigns/clean-hands/5may2018/en/