Today is World Hand Hygiene Day , an international multisectoral initiative, with the motto ‘Hand Hygiene for All’. Although World Hand Hygiene Day, organized by the World Health Organization (WHO), is celebrated on May 5, as we are celebrating the 15th anniversary of this which is the first initiative of the World Alliance for Patient Safety, WHO decided to join this initiative. Hand washing with soap and water or, instead, cleaning with an alcoholic solution is the most important measure to prevent the transmission of infections. Our hands usually contain different microorganisms, the vast majority of which are beneficial. However, they can carry disease-causing bacteria and viruses, so their hygiene at certain times is extremely important. In particular, the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, can remain transmitted in the hands of infected canes to other people, so that, more than ever, adequate hand hygiene by all people , especially after contact with objects and surfaces in common use, upon arriving home, before meals, after using sanitary facilities and, of course, after coughing or sneezing if a mask is not used or after using a facial tissue. In the scope of healthcare provision , hand hygiene has even more stringent indications, so the World Health Organization has defined the five moments in which it must be performed: before contact with patients, before carrying out clean procedures or aseptic, after risk of exposure to biological fluids, after exposure to patients and, finally, after exposure to the patient's environment. Hand hygiene should also cover the thumbs, fingertips and the spaces between the fingers, areas that are often overlooked and where microorganisms can be housed. To protect your hands and increase the effectiveness of your hygiene, it is necessary to apply protective cream daily. It is essential that the entire population, and particularly health professionals, carry out this gesture that is both so simple and so decisive. Washing hands saves lives.
