SEO Riders:
- – “It might be gloves. It’s always hand hygiene”: WHO’s 2025 campaign slogan
– Gloves are not a substitute for proper hand hygiene, warns WHO
– Improper glove use contributes to environmental waste, says WHO
On May 5, 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) marked World Hand Hygiene Day with the theme: “It might be gloves. It’s always hand hygiene.” This campaign underscores that while medical gloves can reduce infection risk, they are not a replacement for proper hand hygiene practices. Dr. Bruce Aylward, WHO Assistant Director-General, stated, “Medical gloves can reduce the risk of infection, but they are never a replacement for hand hygiene.”
The WHO highlights that improper glove use can undermine infection prevention efforts and contribute to environmental waste. For instance, nitrile gloves, commonly used during the pandemic, can take over 400 years to decompose.
Statistics reveal that two in five healthcare facilities globally lack basic hand hygiene services, putting 3.4 billion people at risk. The WHO emphasizes the importance of integrating hand hygiene into national infection prevention strategies and facility-level procedures.
