Global Handwashing Day, celebrated annually on October 15th, is a global advocacy day initiated to increase awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap. It is an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives. This campaign was first conceptualized in 2008, the International Year of Sanitation by the Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing (PPPHW) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). Manipal University, in an endeavour to raise awareness regarding the importance of handwashing, is attempting to create a new world record for the largest number of people in a hand sanitizing relay at a single venue.
The event was held at Marena Sports Complex on October 15, 2016 and started at 7 AM. Students and staff of the various health sciences departments approximated to about 5000 people, participated in this relay.
The correct steps for hand washing as advocated by WHO are:
- Step 1: Begin rubbing your palms together with your fingers closed.
- Step 2: Move your left palm over right dorsum with interlaced fingers and vice versa – make sure to really rub in between your fingers.
- Step 3: Rub palm to palm with fingers interlaced.
- Step 4: Interlock your fingers and rub the back of them by turning your wrist in a half circle motion.
- Step 5: Clasp your left thumb in your right palm and rub in in a rotational motion from the tip of your fingers to the end of the thumb, then switch hands.
- Step 6: Finally scrub your fingertips by rotational rubbing on the palm of the other hand.
Let’s make an effort to join (clean) hands to help propagate this campaign and stop the transmission of various diseases in solidarity with Manipal University, PPPHW and WHO.