According to a new position paper published online in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC), improved daily hygiene practices, such as
hand washing, the risk of frequent infections by up to 50% and reduce the need for antibiotics by up to 30%.
Global public health experts responsible for the position paper are now calling for domestic and community hygiene to become part of the strategic plans to reduce hundreds of thousands of deaths from AMR worldwide each year, as in recent global efforts to delay the spread of COVID-19 has been observed, hygiene practices, including hand washing, have become an integral part of every person’s daily routine and are considered the first line of defense to curb the spread of common infections.
While national and international BME strategies focus on the important role of hygiene in healthcare, they neglect the key role of domestic and community hygiene, a position paper developed by the Global Hygiene Council (GHC) and published online in AJIC investigated the role of targeted hygiene at home and in everyday life to reduce the prescription of antibiotics and their likely effects on antibiotic resistance.
It provides evidence that the practice of hand hygiene in households and community facilities can prevent infections and thus reduce the need for antibiotics.
An intervention study demonstrated a 30% reduction in antibiotic prescriptions for frequent respiratory infections in a group using hand disinfectants compared to a control group, and the position paper also shows the increasing prevalence of multi-drug resistant bacteria in the home and community.
It is believed that 35% of the common infections that occur in healthcare and the community are already….
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