Over 80 countries mark world handwashing day

VOA News reports that more than 80 countries marked Global Handwashing Day Thursday. The news service writes that "[d]iarrhea is the third cause of death in West and Central Africa, which is responsible for 30 percent of the world's deaths of children under the age of five." According to UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman, "Health experts suggest that if people [wash their hands] regularly, the incidence of diarrhea can be reduced by as much as 40 percent." Handwashing with clean water is not always possible in part of Africa, says UNICEF's Jane Bevan: "It is often a problem and we have to do as best we can, and quite often we are supporting schools to develop water supplies as well and also looking at alternatives solutions ..." (Shryock, 10/15).

According to UNICEF, "despite its life-saving potential, handwashing with soap is seldom practised and is not always easy to promote," IANS/Times of India reports. In India alone, diarrhea kills nearly 1,000 children under age 5 every day, UNICEF says. Using soap and water to wash hands is "one of the most effective and affordable health interventions," reports the Times of India (10/16).

According to Xinhua, "higher rates of handwashing with soap would significantly contribute towards meeting the [Millennium Development Goal] 4 of reducing deaths of children under the age of five by two-thirds by 2015" (10/15).


Kaiser Health NewsThis article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

Comments

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
Post a new comment
Post

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.

You might also like...
Animal characters can play an important role in children's psychological development