The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is partnering with schools throughout the Americas to try to set a new Guinness World Record for mass handwashing, on Global Handwashing Day, October 15. The goal is to get more than 1 million people washing their hands at the same time in different locations throughout the region.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is partnering with schools throughout the Americas to try to set a new Guinness World Record for mass handwashing, on Global Handwashing Day, October 15.
The goal is to get more than 1 million people washing their hands at the same time in different locations throughout the region.
The Region of the Americas holds the current world record "for the most people simultaneously washing their hands in multiple locations." The current record was set on October 14, 2011, when 740,870 children and adults in schools from Peru, Mexico and Argentina all washed their hands on Global Handwashing Day.
In recent weeks, PAHO has been calling on schools throughout the region to join together this year to break that record by topping the 1 million mark.
Washing hands with soap and water is one of the most cost-effective practices available in public health, with the potential to prevent half of diarrhea illnesses and nearly one in four respiratory infections.
This year's campaign for Global Handwashing Day stresses handwashing technique, emphasizing that at least 20 seconds should be devoted to washing hands with soap and water to remove germs. Proper handwashing means rubbing your hands together palm to palm; washing the back of the hand and the spaces between fingers; washing the back of the fingers, including the nails; and rubbing both thumbs and wrists.
PAHO was founded in 1902 and is the oldest international health organization in the world. It works with all the countries of the Hemisphere to improve the health and the quality of life of the peoples of the Americas and acts as the WHO Regional Office for the Americas.
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