The History of Hygiene

In the mid-19th century, Ignaz Semmelweis discovered that the incidence of puerperal fever could be drastically cut by the use of hand disinfection in obstetrical clinics. Despite various publications of results where hand washing reduced mortality to below 1%, Semmelweis's observations conflicted with the established scientific and medical opinions of the time.

Today, hand hygiene remains the single most important intervention for infection prevention and control. When you wash your hands, you protect yourself, your team, and your patients.