Never, as now, the expression “ Seconds save lives: clean your hands! ” it was as internalized by the population as it is in the times in which we live. During the year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have heard repeatedly that, to protect ourselves from SARS-Cov-2, it was essential to clean our hands. You clean your hands for 20 seconds. You clean your hands singing the 'congratulations' song. You clean your hands after touching objects, doors, others. Clean your hands, period. The gesture has become the rule. Protection, security, and trust . Now, the World Health Organization (WHO), which runs hand hygiene promotion campaigns every year, wants more. On World Hand Hygiene Day, which marks the 5th of May 2021, WHO wants the gesture that saves lives to stay, to become a habit and to be as spontaneous as breathing. And, therefore, once again this year, it launches the appeal: we will leave this gesture to future generations, as one of the most important behavioral legacies that we have adopted and acquired. But why is all this so important? Cleaning your hands does not just save us from COVID-19. Prevents more than 50% the incidence of infections such as diarrhea, flu, diseases of the skin, throat, ears and even the stomach. And, above all, it reduces substantially the preventable infections, acquired during the provision of health care. Hence the importance of the awareness of health professionals in this matter. According to WHO data already released this year: Worldwide, 7% of patients in developed countries and 15% in developing countries will acquire at least one infection associated with healthcare in acute care hospitals. In the European Union alone, 8.9 million infections associated with healthcare occur every year in hospitals and long-term care units. One million of the 4.1 million maternal and neonatal deaths annually worldwide can be related to unhygienic childbirth practices, including poor hand hygiene. Our hands usually contain different microorganisms, the vast majority of which are beneficial. However, they can be carriers of disease-causing bacteria and viruses, so their hygiene at certain times is extremely important. The Hospital da Luz Network is once again associated with the WHO campaign. Seconds save lives: clean your hands! A gesture that protects the future.
