Every year hospital-related infections kill 16 million patients. A Swiss doctor is reducing these numbers by half thanks to a very simple procedure: disinfecting hands using alcohol-based handrubs. We owe the existence of this procedure to Professor Didier Pittet, who has revolutionized the fight against nosocomial illnesses. Since 2005, in conjunction with the World Health Organization (WHO), he has been leading a global campaign in which 170 out of 194 UN member states now take part. His crusade is recounted in a book that promises to be a major event. Translated into seven languages, it is being published by Editions L’Âge de l’Homme to mark the occasion of World Hand Hygiene Day on 5 May 2014.