News

A Swiss invention washes Sars-CoV-2 away

A Swiss invention washes Sars-CoV-2 away

Tokyo (SCCIJ) – In the world’s struggle with Covid-19, hydro-alcoholic gel is a much sought-after product these days. Rubbing one’s hands with this product is a very simple hygiene step that has been adopted worldwide and saves 8 million lives every year. The Swiss medical doctor Didier Pittet developed this new method of disinfection. He is the director of the Infection Control Program of Geneva University Hospitals (HUG).

A Swiss invention washes Sars-CoV-2 away

Dr. Clean Hands alias Dr. Didier Pittet (© HUG)

Improving disinfection

Dr. Pittet did more than anyone to popularize the slogan ‘Clean Hands Save Lives’ in the wake of the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic. He demonstrated that disinfecting one’s hands with a hydro-alcoholic gel – the chemical formula was developed by HUG pharmacist William Griffiths – is more effective than washing them with soap. He introduced his method of combating healthcare-associated infections – which affect around 70,000 people in Switzerland annually – at the HUG in the 1990s in collaboration with the World Health Organization.

His scientific breakthrough makes proper hand hygiene possible in poor countries where running water is scarce. Today, it is known as the ‘Geneva model’ in the medical field. The principle is simple: keep hydro-alcoholic gel within easy reach of medical staff at all times in patients’ rooms and hospital corridors so they can disinfect their hands during and after contact with patients. They can even carry bottles of hydro-alcoholic gel in the pockets of their white coats.

The conventional hand-washing method requires you to walk to a washbasin, wash thoroughly, rinse and then dry your hands. It is a time-consuming process, especially because medical staff are expected to wash their hands several times an hour. Keeping hands germ-free with hydro-alcoholic gel takes only about 20 seconds, is more convenient than washing them with soap, and it reduces hospital infections.

A Swiss invention washes Sars-CoV-2 away

Hand hygiene © Julien Gregorio/phovea/HUG

Altruistic doctor

Dr. Pittet faced considerable resistance. He notes that imposing the use of hydro-alcoholic gel is much less of a challenge than getting people to internalize the habit to keep their hands germ-free. 2005 was a turning point. The WHO entrusted Dr Pittet with the launch of the ‘Clean Care is Safer Care’ program for patient safety. This gave a global impetus to efforts to promote the use of hydro-alcoholic solution to ensure effective hand hygiene.

Dr. Pittet’s campaign led him to cross swords with pharmaceutical companies. Some of them resisted his call for hydro-alcoholic gel at an affordable price. The Swiss is more interested in public health results than in profits and has not earned a penny from the product he co-developed. He relinquished all intellectual property rights and gave the chemical formula to the WHO “so it can be produced in a kitchen lab”. Making the formula freely available was the only reward he was interested in.

Renowned scientist

Dr. Pittet is now the director of the Infection Control Program and WHO Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety at the HUG. He has co-authored over 500 scientific publications and has received several national and international awards in his field. In 1998 he was ranked among the top five most influential scientists worldwide. He has taught at some of the world’s most prestigious medical institutions.

For services to the prevention of healthcare-associated infections in the UK, Dr. Pittet was conferred the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II – the highest rank of that order available to non-British nationals. The British crown had not granted a title to a Swiss national in over 400 years.

Text: House of Switzerland

LATEST NEWS

RECENT NEWS

  • 2024
  • +2023
  • +2022
  • +2021
  • +2020
  • +2019
  • +2018
  • +2017

Sign up to our weekly newsletter to keep up-to-date with our latest news

UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR