Global Handwashing Day
October 15 · Level 6 · #1057 of 2238
Global Handwashing Day reminds us that washing with soap is one of the simplest and cheapest shields against infection. It was first held on 15 October 2008.
How it is celebrated: schools and kindergartens run lessons and games about clean hands, and health workers suggest scrubbing for at least 20 seconds, which is about two rounds of Happy Birthday.
The idea of disinfecting hands in medicine took off in 1847, when Viennese physician Ignaz Semmelweis introduced the rule in his maternity clinic and deaths among new mothers fell sharply.