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Hand hygiene

Australian Open partners with Initial for a second consecutive year

The Australian Open renewed its partnership for a second year with global hygiene brand Initial as the Official Hygiene Partner of AO22.

Global Handwashing Day 2022: unite for universal hand hygiene

From saving lives to protecting the vulnerable, vaccines are a strong argument for one of humanity’s greatest achievements. Despite fears that immunity might lessen over time, 196 countries and territories have now administered...

Which is better: alcohol or non-alcohol hand sanitiser?

Hand hygiene is one of the pillars of infection control. It was recognised as far back as the nineteenth century as essential to prevent spread of infections in hospitals – even before it was understood that...

The importance of hand drying in maintaining hand hygiene

Washing hands with soap and water is recognised as the most effective way to clean hands of dirt and infectious microorganisms. In healthcare settings it has been regarded as one of the most important components of...

7 tips for good hand hygiene in offices

Hand hygiene has never been more important. Washing hands with soap and water regularly throughout the day will reduce the risk of catching or spreading viruses. According to World Health Organization (WHO), the provision of safe water,...

9 steps to washing your hands to remove viruses and bacteria

The World Health Organization says that the most important action we can take during the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic is to wash hands frequently to remove any viruses that may be on them. Washing hands is the...

Your colleagues’ dirty washroom habits may not be what you think

When it’s suggested that someone has dirty washroom habits, you might not immediately think about their hands. However, I would suggest that perhaps that is exactly what you should think about. The ‘sneeze effect’ is what...

3 main food-borne diseases caused by cross contamination

Food-borne disease is a major international health issue which is caused by the transfer of harmful bacteria through cross-contamination. The World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed that 600 million people from around the world are affected by...

Gloves vs no gloves: The transmission of pathogens

Food handling gloves can play a huge role in the avoidance of cross-contamination in the food industry. However, there is clear evidence to suggest that gloves in food processing and other areas of the food industry do...

How to maintain a positive hand hygiene culture

Food handlers’ hygiene practices and behaviours are some of the most important factors in preventing foodborne diseases and cross-contamination, in fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 80 percent of all infections are transmitted by hands....

The journey of the germ in food processing and preparation

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has described food contamination and food-borne diseases as an increasingly global threat to the health and wellbeing of millions of people every year. As a matter of fact, the WHO revealed...

Clean hands for health: a recipe for good hand hygiene

According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 40% of foodborne illnesses are transmitted via germs on our hands. Moreover, a staggering 80% of communicable diseases are transferred by touch alone. When done...

5 infections that you can catch doing sports

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, there are many ways that sports activities can make people catch infections, from the close living conditions and physical contacts with other people and the environment, from both...

9 tips on keeping clean and healthy at festivals

Summertime marks the start of festival season. I‘m sure many of you have just got back from one or are about to embark on either a weekend full of music camping in a field or spending...

How dirty is your mobile phone?

As I was searching the internet, educating myself further on hygiene, I came across an interesting video from Mashable (see below) about how dirty your mobile phone is compared to other items found around your home...

6 hygienic ways to greet someone

The famous handshake used throughout the western world to greet someone. I don‘t know about you, but I cannot count a number of times I have shaken someone’s hand. Whether it‘s a friend, relative or colleague, I‘ve...

Are dirty toilets a cause of dehydration in children?

Although a shocking headline, recent research by Initial Hygiene revealed that up to 43% of school children are intentionally not drinking water to avoid using the toilet. The number one cause for this appears to be...

7 reasons sports people are at risk of infections

This summer of sport has highlighted the importance of marginal gains to elite athletes with hundredths of a second making the difference between winning and losing. Ensuring the athletes are physically 100% is, of course, the...

Hand sanitisers: essential protection or another COVID-19 myth?

On 11 January 2020, health authorities in China reported that a 61-year-old man from Wuhan had died from a new type of coronavirus. Many feared an outbreak similar to that of SARS in 2002, including government advisors....

Hand drying solutions – Which is the most effective?

Hands play a huge role in cross-contamination and are one of the largest risk factors in the spread of pathogens. Historically, the idea of hand hygiene practice has been associated with hand washing, however, there is an increasing...

How to avoid the winter flu

As the weather gets colder and wetter and the nights draw in, the number of people with coughs, sniffles and sneezes grows. People are absent from the office, friends cancel engagements and you seem to always...

Why Global Handwashing Day highlights the needs for better hand hygiene compliance everywhere

Global Handwashing Day is here again, and with it should come fresh impetus for us all Global Handwashing Day is an annual campaign dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap...

Hand drying – Why it’s an important part of hand hygiene

As most people know, handwashing is important but many are less aware of the importance of drying hands too. In 2010, a University of Bradford study, published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology, found that...

Get involved in Global Handwashing Day

Every year, 15 October is celebrated as Global Handwashing Day, led by WHO and UNICEF, to promote awareness of the importance of handwashing with soap to help prevent the spread of infections, reduce sickness and save...