It’s often said that young children have grubby hands and pupils at a Torbay pre-school found out exactly how dirty theirs were this week.

Our public health team took their handwashing training kit into Holy Angels Pre-school in Torquay as part of a series of events they’re running to mark the start of Antimicrobial Resistance Week (AMR), which starts on Monday (18 November).

AMR Week aims to raise awareness of the overuse of antimicrobials, which include antibiotics and antivirals. Using these medicines too much or in the wrong way can make them less effective, making it tougher to treat even mild infections. For example, antibiotics should only ever be used to treat bacterial infections and won’t work against illnesses like COVID-19 or flu.

One of the best ways to prevent infections is good hygiene – washing our hands properly and covering our mouth and nose when we cough or sneeze.

Julia Chisnell, Public Health Consultant at Torbay Council, explains how the handwashing kit works.

She said: “The children put some gel on and then put their hands under the light box which shows the germs under the UV light. They go away and wash their hands and then come back to see how much they’ve missed. That shows how well they’ve washed their hands and how they can improve next time. The children have been loving it and are great ambassadors for handwashing.”

As well as Holy Angels, the handwashing kit has already gone to Orchard Forest School and will soon be making its way to Collaton St Mary Pre-school and Southernwood Day Nursery.

It is available for schools to borrow and schools are also invited to complete pledge cards on how they will support AMR awareness.

The public health team has also led assemblies at Our Lady of the Angels Catholic School, Oldway Primary School and there are sessions planned for Shiphay Learning Academy and Paignton Academy.

These focus on the importance of hand washing and how to get it right, respiratory hygiene and the responsible use of antibiotics. For Key Stage 2 groups, this includes vaccinations.

Councillor Hayley Tranter, Torbay’s cabinet member for Adult and Community Services, Public Health and Inequalities, said: “We rely on medicines like antibiotics not only to fight severe bacterial infections, but also to support cancer treatment and surgery. Antibiotics are precious – let’s do our bit to keep them working by only using them when needed and finishing the course as directed by the GP.

“Practising effective handwashing is an excellent way to ward off infections and there’s no better time to get into good habits than when you’re young. I’m so pleased the public health team has been bringing this message to our youngest and most receptive residents.

“Getting ourselves vaccinated is also important and as we come up to the winter, now is the perfect time to check we’re update to date with our flu and COVID-19 jabs.”

The public health team isn’t just sharing this message with schoolchildren. They will be taking the handwashing kit to Brixham Hospital’s outpatient department on Monday 18 November from 12:30pm to 2:30pm where it will be available for members of the public to try.

Dr Joanne Watson, Director of Infection Control & Prevention at Torbay Hospital, will also be there to talk about antimicrobial resistance to anyone dropping by the outpatients department in Greenswood Road.

Dr Watson said: “I am looking forward to spending some time with our public to explain why AMR Week is so vital for them. It’s been less than a hundred years since penicillin was discovered and it has been a game-changer for medicine, saving countless lives and improving the health of us all.

“However bacteria is very clever and is constantly evolving in an attempt to resist our efforts, so it is vital that we all understand why good hygiene is essential, and how simple tasks such as proper thorough hand washing can help preserve our antibiotics for years to come.”

Find out more about antibiotic resistance and how you can make a difference