As part of activities to mark the 2025 World Hand Hygiene Day, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has emphasised that hand hygiene is not just a clinical procedure.
It is a moral obligation and a public health imperative that must be embedded in the culture of healthcare delivery nationwide.
Head of Disease Prevention and Control at the (NCDC) Dr Tochi Okwor, said this, yesterday, during a commemorative event held at Maitama District Hospital in Abuja.
Okwor reiterated that hand hygiene remained one of the most effective measures for preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), limiting the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and ultimately saving lives. “The theme for 2025 campaign, ‘It Might Be Gloves. It’s Always Hand Hygiene,’ highlights the misconception that wearing gloves alone is enough to prevent infection.
Highlighting Nigeria’s progress in infection prevention and control (IPC), Okwor noted significant achievements, including the implementation of the Turn Nigeria Orange (TNO) movement, which assessed and strengthened IPC systems across the country.
She explained that the agency had established the Orange Network, a cohort of healthcare facilities serving as centres of excellence for IPC, antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), WASH, and diagnostics.
While policies and protocols were vital, she emphasised that true progress lied in building a culture where hand hygiene was a lived practice embraced by healthcare workers, administrators, patients, and communities.
“We must move beyond compliance to foster a culture supported by leadership role-modelling, data-driven feedback, and patient empowerment,” Okwor said.
She noted that Nigeria’s IPC strategy aligned with the WHO’s Global IPC Strategy (2024–2030), supporting national health goals such as Universal Health Coverage and Primary Health Care revitalisation.
