Poor hygiene leading cause of infections

ISLAMABAD: Every year, hundreds of millions of patients around the world are affected by infections caused by basic hygiene and healthcare related problems. More than half of these infections can be prevented by caregivers properly cleaning their hands at key moments in patient care, said National Institute of Health (NIH) Executive Director Dr Aamer Ikram.



He made this statement on Monday while addressing an audience at an awareness seminar organised by NIH, Islamabad. The seminar was for medical professionals, paramedic staff and students of the College of Medical Laboratories Technology (CMLT). It was held in connection with World Hand Hygiene Day, marked globally on May 5, highlights the importance of hand cleanliness. The slogan of this year’s campaign is “It’s in your hands – prevent sepsis in health care.” The aim of the event was to promote hand hygiene practices.



“Most germs that cause serious infections in healthcare are spread by people’s actions. Every patient is at risk of getting an infection while they are being treated for something else. Even healthcare providers are at risk of getting an infection while they are treating patients.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2018.