Global guidelines on hand hygiene in community settings: why they matter

Global guidelines on hand hygiene in community settings: why they matter, what’s different and how governments can act on them summarizes the key implications of the new WHO/UNICEF Guidelines for government decision-makers. It explains why hand hygiene should be treated as a public health responsibility and sustained government priority, and sets out the three core requirements for effective hand hygiene: access to materials, information, and a conducive physical and social environment. The summary also highlights important technical clarifications and outlines seven practical actions governments can take to strengthen policies, systems, financing, implementation and monitoring, moving from short-term campaigns towards sustainable hand hygiene programmes.