National Handwashing Awareness Week

December 1–7 marks National Handwashing Awareness Week.

Hi friends, Coach Lucy here to chat about a simple yet life-saving practice – handwashing!

Let’s get into this.

3 Things to Know:

1. Proper handwashing can reduce respiratory and diarrheal illnesses by up to 31% (cdc.gov).
2. Soap and water are more effective than hand sanitizer for eliminating dirt and viruses.
3. Many infections, including norovirus and COVID-19, spread through dirty hands.

3 Things to Do:

1. Make handwashing fun for kids by teaching the 20-second handwashing song (healthychildren.org).
2. Always wash your hands before eating and after public interactions.
3. Share infographics or images about proper hand hygiene on social media.

3 Resources:

1. CDC Handwashing Page
2. World Health Organization Hand Hygiene
3. Global Handwashing Partnership