- In the context of World Hand Hygiene Day, which is celebrated on Sunday, May 5, the Ribera health group organizes an awareness campaign and remembers the importance of this action to prevent infections and contagions
Specialists in Preventive Medicine of the health group Ribera They warn about the relaxation of the habit of hand hygiene among the general population after the Covid pandemic and remember its importance in preventing infections and the spread of viruses. Respiratory infections such as the common flu or influenza A, pneumonia, bronchiolitis, whooping cough, the common cold, feco-oral transmitted diseases such as diarrhea, cholera or hepatitis A and E are some of the diseases that can be contracted and transmitted with absence or poor hand hygiene.
“Hands are the vehicle for transmitting germs that we find on every imaginable surface we come into contact with throughout the day. From our hands it passes to our mouth, nose and eyes when we touch ourselves and other people when we interact with them. We are talking about viruses, bacteria and fungi. They accumulate on our hands, even if we wear gloves, until we wash them correctly,” explains Ignacio Enríquez de Salamanca, Preventive nurse at the hospital. Ribera Povisa.
In the context of World Hand Hygiene Day, which is celebrated this Sunday, May 5, the Ribera group has organized an awareness campaign not to relax either the frequency or the necessary depth of hand hygiene, so important for hand care. of the health and well-being of the population. “Prevention, information and participation of citizens in their own self-care is key to their health and helps stop infections,” explain the specialists.
Health education: a video, a comic and talks
Among the actions carried out by the professionals of the Ribera health group in the last four years, to contribute to health education and the prevention of diseases among the population, the edition of a video to explain how to perform correct hand hygiene; workshops organized in schools, institutes and associations in their hospital areas on the importance of hand hygiene, in some cases, incorporating elements such as a fluorescent gel, which accurately shows the areas of the hand that have not been completely clean after of hygiene, if this has not been carried out correctly, for example, between the fingers; and the publication of an original comic, “A minute to always protect you”.
This story has been regularly distributed among pediatric patients at Ribera hospitals and children attending these hygiene workshops, and which tries to show, in an easy and educational way, how to wash your hands correctly. “The comic helps children understand the importance of correct hand hygiene, which was already key before Covid to combat viruses and bacteria, and is now an essential practice to stop infections,” say the professionals.
Just as you remember Unicef, the fact that the entire population of the world has hand washing as a daily habit is key to achieving Sustainable Development Goal number 6 on water, hygiene and sanitation.
In addition, the Quality area and the Preventive Medicine services of the Ribera hospitals have carried out an internal campaign to also remind professionals of the importance of perfecting the hand washing technique. To do this, in several of the group's health centers they have had an ultraviolet light machine in which, after washing their hands, the professionals have inserted their hands to check if it had been done correctly.
Link to the comic “A minute to always protect you”, here.
