ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

More than 100 primary schools across the UK have signed up to take part in a record-breaking Global Handwashing Day handwashing marathon this month.

De Montfort University, Leicester is leading a national effort to improve hand hygiene among children while also attempting to set a new Guinness World record.

Thousands of children nationwide will simultaneously engage in the Germ-Busting Washathon on October 15. This will take the form of coordinated handwashing activities staged via an online lesson about the importance of hand hygiene for public health.

"It's fantastic to see so many schools coming together to support this cause," said Professor Katie Laird, microbiologist at De Montfort University. "Teaching children the importance of hand hygiene can have lasting benefits for their health and their communities."

Professor Laird and fellow DMU professor Sarah Younie have together developed a learning tool called Germ's Journey in a bid to educate young people about the importance of washing their hands.

Germs Journey has already reached tens of thousands of children worldwide through books, interactive online platforms, games and videos.

The record for the most people washing their hands at the same time was set on October 14, 2011 when 37,809 participants engaged in an event organised by the Lifebuoy Team and the federal government of Nigeria. Again, the aim was to encourage children to wash their hands with soap and water to help prevent diarrhoea.

And the largest-ever hand hygiene lesson took place in India on Global Hand Washing Day in 2018 when a total of 4,024 people took part in the event.