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Global Handwashing Day Especially Relevant During H1N1 Pandemic

by Yuliya Talmazan | October 15, 2009 at 09:56 am

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Today is the Global Handwashing Day, and it has never been as relevant as it is this year with the world officially in the state of a flu pandemic. WHO has not lowered its flu pandemic level ever since June of 2009 when it categorized the global swine flu outbreak as level 6 -- a full-blown pandemic.

A lot of progress has been made since the H1N1 swine flu started making the headlines five months ago. The virus has been sequenced and a vaccine formula designed. Now, as most of the developed world is waiting for the first batches of vaccine to arrive in late October, doctors are still reminding that washing one's hands can be as good of a preventative measure as getting a flu shot.

The idea behind washing one's hands is simple -- by physically exposing the surface of your hands to alkaline soap and water, you leave bacteria and virus a tough environment to survive in. It is quite impossible to go around in today's world without touching infected surfaces, so washing one's hands is one of the few means we can effectively prevent the spread of the flu virus (and many other viruses for that matter). However, many people still seem to underestimate the importance of handwashing.

This year is the second time ever that the Global Handwashing Day is taking palce. The UN General Assemly first appointed October 15 to be the global handwashing day in 2008. The Day started as a way to raise awareness around handwashing for the prevention of all kinds of diseases, such as diarrhea and different kinds of acute respiratory infections. In 2008, the Day had a special emphasis on educating children on the importance of handwashing. However, this year's H1N1 pandemic brings special relevance to the initiative.

To date, a total of 4,539 people have died from the H1N1 flu, 375,000 cases were confirmed worldwide.

You can check out the official website of the Global Handwashing Day here.