Covid-19: WHO announces new recommendations for hand hygiene
While there is a high level of awareness for good hand hygiene in preventing infection with the Covid-19 virus, access to hand hygiene facilities remains suboptimal.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released new recommendations for member states, of which South Africa is one, to improve hand hygiene practices to help prevent the transmission of the Covid-19 virus.
As per the new guidelines, member states should provide universal access to public hand hygiene stations, as well as make their use obligatory on entering and leaving any public or private commercial building and any public transport facility.
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The recommendations also seek to improve access to hand hygiene facilities and practices in health care facilities.
Background:
Current evidence indicates that the Covid-19 virus is transmitted through respiratory droplets or contact.
Contact transmission occurs when contaminated hands touch the mucosa of the mouth, nose, or eyes; the virus can also be transferred from one surface to another by contaminated hands, which facilitates indirect contact transmission.
Hand hygiene is important to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
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It also interrupts transmission of other viruses and bacteria causing common colds, flu and pneumonia, thus reducing the general burden of disease.
While there is a high level of awareness for good hand hygiene in preventing infection with the Covid-19 virus, access to hand hygiene facilities remains suboptimal.
Hand hygiene facilities include alcohol-based hand rubs, as well as soap and water.
WHO and UNICEF estimate that globally three billion people lack hand hygiene facilities at home and two out of five health care facilities lack hand hygiene at points of care.
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WHO recommendations:
Some of the recommendations set out by WHO include:
- One or several hand hygiene stations should be placed in front of the entrance of every public or private commercial building, including schools and health care facilities.
- Facilities should be provided at all transport locations, and especially at major bus and train stations, airports, and seaports.
- The use of public hand hygiene stations should be compulsory before passing the threshold of the entrance to any building and to any means of public transport during the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Local health authorities should ensure the continuous presence of functional hand hygiene stations for all health care workers in areas where personal protective equipment (PPE) is put on or taken off, and where health care waste is handled.
Read the full list of guidelines here.
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