Today Global Handwashing Day 2008

Global Handwashing Day will be the centerpiece of a week of activities that will mobilize millions of people in more than 20 countries across all five continents to wash their hands with soap.

Focus on Children
Of the approximately 120 million children born in the developing world each year, half will live in households without access to improved sanitation, at grave risk to their survival and development. Poor hygiene and lack of access to sanitation together contribute to about 88% of deaths from diarrhoeal diseases, accounting for 1.5 million diarrhoea-related under-five deaths each year. Children suffer disproportionately from diarrheal and respiratory diseases and deaths. But research shows that children - the segment of society so often the most energetic, enthusiastic, and open to new ideas - can also be powerful agents of behavioral change.

Handwashing with soap is the most effective and inexpensive way to prevent diarrheal and acute respiratory infections, which take the lives of millions of children in developing countries every year. Together, they are responsible for the majority of all child deaths. Yet, despite its lifesaving potential, handwashing with soap is seldom practiced and difficult to promote.

The challenge is to transform handwashing with soap from an abstract good idea into an automatic behavior performed in homes, schools, and communities worldwide. Turning handwashing with soap before eating and after using the toilet into an ingrained habit could save more lives than any single vaccine or medical intervention, cutting deaths from diarrhea by almost half and deaths from acute respiratory infections by one-quarter. A vast change in handwashing behavior is critical to meeting the Millennium Development Goal of reducing deaths among children under the age of five by two-thirds by 2015.

The soap were used should be environmental-friendly. The function is not only for washing, but also could protect our environment. Kadek Ayu Susiani Dewi - 20/10/2008 - 16:31

I agree with your comment kan - 18/10/2008 - 13:05

I doubt if all the soap, used when washing your hand, is good for our environment. Paul - 15/10/2008 - 14:56