RELEASE: GHC Highlights Role of Hygiene in Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance

- A new report from the Global Hygiene Council (GHC) highlights the critical role of hygiene in fighting antimicrobial resistance and future pandemics

LONDON, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report launched today by the Global Hygiene Council (GHC), an independent council of leading hygiene and infection prevention experts, calls for urgent action to prioritize hygiene at home and the community on pandemic preparedness plans beyond COVID-19. The GHC urges governments and policy makers to elevate the importance of hygiene to protect millions of lives.

As the COVID-19 pandemic shows signs of ending, the 'silent pandemic' of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues, with AMR recognized as one of the biggest health threats human. In 2019, 4.95 million deaths were associated with antimicrobial resistance, highlighting its status as one of the biggest threats to human health. Without action, this number could rise to 10 million deaths annually by 2050. The GHC report, titled Making Hygiene Matter, highlights the importance of household and community hygiene in mitigating the incidence of infections and the prevalence of AMR.

The report identifies four pillars for change, including maintaining hygiene awareness in everyday settings, reducing the need for antibiotics through hygienic practices, recognizing the economic benefits of effective hygiene, and promoting of behavior change to establish solid hygiene habits.

Microbiologist and Emeritus Professor at Simmons University, Boston, USA and GHC President Elizabeth Scott commented:

"The new GHC report is timely and provides tangible hygiene recommendations for change. We need to act now to safeguard public health – good hygiene is one of the most cost-effective, easy and accessible solutions to prevent infection and save lives."

The beneficial side effects of increased hygiene practices during the COVID-19 pandemic are now apparent. Since the pandemic began, there has been a decrease in the prevalence of other illnesses, including cases of seasonal influenza and other seasonal respiratory viruses, with a significant decrease in the number of common illnesses in children. Scientists have confirmed that there is a "clear consensus" that the reason other respiratory illnesses declined during the pandemic was due to human behavior and hygiene-based mitigation measures.

The GHC urges governments, policymakers, and health authorities to adopt and implement the report's recommendations when responding to existing and future infectious disease threats, including antimicrobial resistance.

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