Health Care Aide Day on October 18th was first created by the government of Manitoba, Canada, to honor healthcare aides. Since these talented professionals work around the clock and in a variety of situations (from acute care to home-, community-, and residential care), they are ever-present caregivers for the sickest and neediest portions of the population. In any public healthcare system, healthcare aides are indispensable.

COVID-19 continues to show the world what we’ve always known—infection preventionists (IPs) play a crucial role in keeping our neighborhoods safe and healthy. In addition to fighting a global pandemic, the infection prevention and control community is protecting us from surges in healthcare-associated infections, measles outbreaks, flu season, and so many other day-to-day infectious battles. 

World Food Day is celebrated annually on 16 October to promote global awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger, and to highlight the need to ensure healthy diets for all.Collective action across 150 countries is what makes World Food Day one of the most celebrated days of the United Nations calendar. Hundreds of events and outreach activities bring together governments, businesses, NGOs, the media, and the general public. They promote worldwide awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and for the need to ensure healthy diets for all.

October 15th is Global Handwashing Day, a global advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives.

National Mammography Day is a part of Breast Cancer Awareness month and is celebrated on the third Friday of October every year. Mammograms are a hugely important aspect of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, as millions of women across the globe are encouraged to attend Mammography screenings as part of the defense against developing breast cancer.

Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day on October 13 is a time to gain and spread knowledge of what sufferers are up against and how society can help. Metastatic means that what began as a case of early-stage breast cancer has metastasized, or spread to other organs (lungs, bones, etc) outside the breasts, and is now considered to be stage four cancer. At this point the only care option is to treat advanced cancer and its side effects, including anxiety; there is no cure for metastatic breast cancer as of this writing. Treatments may include surgeries and chemotherapy, as well as possible clinical trials of new drugs, which along with other palliative care can help improve quality of life and lengthen life span itself. Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day is part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and presents an opportunity for us to increase awareness and visibility for those who are championing and fighting for scientific advances.

October 13 is National Herpes Awareness Day, an opportunity to raise awareness around the causes, risks, and treatment of different types of herpes infections, particularly genital herpes. Perhaps more importantly, it’s a chance to debunk myths around the disease, start conversations about what it really means to have genital herpes infection, and, hopefully, destroy the stigma around the disease that impacts nearly 16% of women between the ages of 14 and 49.

International Day of the Girl celebrates the importance, power, and potential of girls around the world. It is also a day to highlight girls’ needs and the particular problems they can face, and drive efforts that meet these needs and fulfill their rights – not benevolently for them but in partnership with them. 

Today, on World Mental Health Day, it will have been more than 18 months since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In some countries, life is returning to some semblance of normality; in others, rates of transmission and hospital admissions remain high, disrupting the lives of families and communities.

Whether for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, or depression, health screenings provide a quick and easy way to spot the first signs of serious illness and can reach people who might not otherwise seek professional medical advice.