The city of Mashhad, capital of Khorasan Razavi Province, broke the Guinness World Record on “Hand Sanitizing Relay” on September 15, with 622 participants at the Imam Reza Hospital performing hand hygiene before two officials (to oversee and register the record) and witnesses.
The event was aimed at improving hygiene in hospitals to help reduce hospital-acquired infections that sicken five million people daily worldwide.
Participants including university faculty members, practitioners, nurses, students, staff, and the general public, competed in the relay by using hand wash in turn before pouring the alcohol hand rub for the next in line, landing the effort in the Guinness World Records for “the most participants in a hand-sanitizing relay”, reports Borna News Agency.
“Alcohol-based sanitizers are recognized as a means to enhance healthcare globally by the World Health Organization,” said Mohammad Hassan Aalami, head of the hospital’s Infection Control and Hand Hygiene Research Center.
Hand sanitizer is commonly used now instead of washing hands with soap and water. Scientific evidence and easy use, support employment of a hand rub for routine hygiene. It is microbiologically effective, acts faster and saves time.
Also, more accessible than sinks, hand wash has efficacious agents for reducing bacteria on the hands of healthcare workers and prevent skin allergies. Allergic dermatitis is found to be a less common side effect of alcohol based hand rubs in comparison to traditional soap and water.
The relay lasted five hours with 20 seconds for each person to sanitize their hands.
Hong Kong made the first record in May 2014 with 277 participants at the Hong Kong Baptist Hospital.
The WHO adopted Hong Kong’s record-breaking model verified by the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and decided to make it the focus of this year’s global Hand Hygiene Day (May 5), with a view to promoting hand hygiene and thus reduction of hospital infections the world over.
