SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands Campaign

2026 Theme

"Action saves lives"

Campaign Description

The SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands campaign is the World Health Organization's annual global advocacy campaign dedicated to improving hand hygiene in healthcare. Launched in 2009, it brings together governments, health ministries, hospitals, healthcare professionals, professional associations, and patient organizations to strengthen infection prevention and control (IPC). Throughout the campaign week, participants promote education, advocacy, policy implementation, and practical actions that improve hand hygiene compliance and reduce healthcare-associated infections worldwide.

Theme Focus

The 2026 campaign encourages everyone involved in healthcare to turn commitment into action by strengthening hand hygiene and infection prevention and control practices. It emphasizes that timely hand hygiene remains one of the most effective and cost-efficient interventions for preventing healthcare-associated infections, protecting patients and healthcare workers, combating antimicrobial resistance, and improving healthcare quality. The campaign also highlights the importance of leadership, compliance monitoring, adequate supplies, and sustainable investment in IPC programmes.

Key Priorities

Improve hand hygiene compliance at the point of care
Strengthen infection prevention and control (IPC) programmes
Prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs)
Protect patients, healthcare workers, and caregivers
Promote patient safety through clean care
Reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
Ensure consistent access to hand hygiene infrastructure and supplies
Encourage leadership commitment and accountability for IPC
Foster education, training, and behaviour change
Monitor hand hygiene performance and provide feedback
Build sustainable healthcare systems with effective IPC practices

Key Concepts

Hand hygiene
Infection prevention and control (IPC)
Clean care
Patient safety
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs)
Health worker safety
Point of care
Alcohol-based hand rub
Handwashing with soap and water
WHO Five Moments for Hand Hygiene
Behaviour change
Quality improvement
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
Healthcare quality
Safety culture

Resources & Related Content

World Health Organization – World Hand Hygiene Day – Official campaign page, annual themes, advocacy materials, and campaign updates.

World Health Organization – Hand Hygiene Resources – Official guidelines, implementation tools, posters, infographics, self-assessment framework, and technical documents.

World Health Organization – Hand Hygiene Implementation Tools – Practical implementation guides, monitoring tools, improvement strategies, and facility resources.

World Health Organization – My Five Moments for Hand Hygiene – Official "Five Moments" poster and guidance for healthcare workers.

World Health Organization – Hand Hygiene Training Resources – Free training manuals, videos, slide decks, posters, and educational materials.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings – Evidence-based clinical guidance, recommendations, and best practices for healthcare settings.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – About Handwashing – Public education resources, fact sheets, posters, and handwashing guidance.

Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) – Professional guidance, infection prevention resources, webinars, and implementation tools.

Infection Prevention Society (IPS) – Educational resources, professional standards, campaigns, and best practices in infection prevention.