WHO chief Tedros Adhanom reminds importance of clean hands on Hand Hygiene Day

Celebrated every year on May 5, the hand hygiene day this year holds a different meaning all together amid the coronavirus pandemic. The World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Tuesday took the opportunity to remind health workers and everyone else about the importance of clean hands. The theme for this year's hygiene day is 'SAVE LIVES: Clean your hands'.

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According to the WHO, the theme is aligned with the 'Year of the Nurse and the Midwife' and aims to recognize nurses and midwives as front-line heroes who deserve acknowledgement and appreciation and highlight their critical roles in infection prevention. "The main goal of the Global Hand Hygiene Day campaign is to recognize that handwashing is one of the most effective actions you can take to reduce the spread of pathogens and prevent infections, including the COVID-19 virus," WHO said in a release on Tuesday. 

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Coronavirus outbreak

According to data by worldometer, the Coronavirus outbreak has claimed more than 2,55,000 lives so far and has infected over 3.69 million people globally. The United States is the worst affected country with over 71,000 deaths and 1.2 million confirmed infections to date. The virus outbreak that started in China's Wuhan city spread across continents in just one month forcing the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare it a pandemic. Health experts believe that the coronavirus originated from a seafood market in China's Wuhan city, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally. 

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(Image Credit: AP)