29 May 2024 – World Hand Hygiene Day (WHHD) has been marked for 16 years to advocate for hand hygiene as an evidence-based, practical approach to infection prevention and control (IPC) in health care settings. This helps limit the risk of epidemics and pandemics and control the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Countries the world over, including in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, must prioritize hand hygiene at every level of the health system – from policy-makers to facility managers, medical professionals, and patients using health services. Hand hygiene is an integral part of the Global Infection Prevention and Control Strategy, launched by WHO in 2023, in close consultation with Member States.
As the Region navigates ongoing conflicts and humanitarian crises, the need for effective IPC is even more evident. This is a critical moment to seize the gains from the COVID-19 response and convert temporary solutions into long-term capabilities to strengthen health systems and health security.
Media coverage of conflicts and other emergencies in the Region often overshadows messaging about evidence-based disease prevention. Yet media outlets have a critical role to play in reaching diverse audiences and educating them on the importance of IPC, including hand hygiene.
WHO sees the media as a key stakeholder in public health response, and especially disease prevention. As such, the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean hosted a dedicated media training session
