The World Health Organization (WHO) called on all governments, healthcare facilities, and frontline workers worldwide to strengthen hand hygiene practices. It also stressed that gloves are not a replacement for cleaning hands.
Marking the remarks on World Hand Hygiene Day, the WHO said that while medical gloves are vital in preventing infection transmission, they are not a substitute for cleaning hands at the right time. The WHO also cautioned health workers against the contamination risk of wearing gloves indefinitely.
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“On this World Hand Hygiene Day, let us double down on our commitment and action to improve hand hygiene in health care settings to ensure the safety of patients and health-care workers,” Dr Bruce Aylward, WHO Assistant Director-General, Universal Health Coverage, Life Course, said in a statement.
The health body also emphasised the environmental degradation caused by gloves. “An average university hospital in a developed country generates 1634 tonnes of health-care waste each year, which is equivalent to over 360 African elephants. Much of the waste could have been avoided if gloves were used properly and good hand hygiene was practised,” it said.
The WHO urged policymakers to establish hand hygiene compliance as a national health system performance indicator by 2026 and prevent glove misuse by keeping enough good-quality gloves accessible. It also asked them to focus on reducing unnecessary glove usage to minimise healthcare waste.
