Posted by Charlotte Salter, on October 15, 2025.
“Be a handwashing hero” is the multi-year theme for Global Handwashing Day. Everyone, from young children to senior business and government officials, can be a handwashing hero.
Clean hands are a fundamental defence against the spread of infections and illnesses – not only in healthcare settings, but also in schools, workplaces, businesses, public spaces, and homes.
Handwashing with soap not only contributes to positive health outcomes, but also a wide range of well-being benefits.
- Handwashing with soap can reduce diarrheal diseases by 30%.
- Handwashing with soap can reduce acute respiratory infections by up to 20%.
- Handwashing with soap plays an important role in reducing the transmission of outbreak-related pathogens such as cholera, Ebola, shigellosis, SARS, hepatitis E, COVID-19, and monkeypox.
- Hand hygiene is protective against healthcare-associated infections and contributes to reducing the spread of antimicrobial resistance.
- Hand hygiene can contribute to the reduction of Neglected Tropical Diseases.
- Proper hand hygiene has also been linked to benefits beyond disease reduction, such as reduced rates of school absenteeism and improvements in wellbeing, dignity, and productivity.
About Global Handwashing Day
October 15 is Global Handwashing Day, a global advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives.
Hooray for Handwashing!
To help children learn more about the importance handwashing, visit our Hooray for Handwashing pages.
