National Handwashing Awareness Week is celebrated each year during the first week of December. The purpose is to draw people's attention to the importance of good hand hygiene and is a great opportunity to remind all staff and visitors to your practice that a quick rinse is not enough to remove the germs. Many diseases are spread by not washing hands properly. Proper handwashing can reduce the risk of respiratory viruses by 16-21%.

Here are the five key steps to follow EVERY time when washing hands:

1. Wet hands with clean water.
2. Lather hands with soap and rub them together.
3. Scrub your hands for 20 seconds.
4. Rinse them with clean water.
5. Dry your hands with a clean towel.