Global Handwashing Day – October 15, 2009
Studies have shown that handwashing with soap can reduce deaths from diarrhea by more than 40 percent and deaths from acute respiratory infections by 25 percent – saving more lives than any single vaccine or medical intervention. Washing one’s hands with soap could reduce worldwide rates of diarrhea by almost half and save at least 1 million lives.
On Global Handwashing Day 2009, playgrounds, classrooms, and community centers will be awash with activity to drive handwashing behavior change on an unprecedented scale, drawing awareness to this critical issue. The second annual Global Handwashing Day will draw attention to the fact that handwashing with soap is the best method for preventing the spread of illness and germs such as H1N1 influenza. Additionally, evidence suggests handwashing can help prevent skin and eye infections. For the greatest impact, hands should be scrubbed with soap for at least 20 seconds. Hands should always be washed with soap after using the toilet and cleaning a child’s bottom, and before eating or handling food. Hands often act as vectors that carry disease-causing pathogens from person to person, either through direct contact or indirectly via surfaces. When not washed with soap, hands that have been in contact with human or animal feces, bodily fluids such as nasal excretions, and contaminated foods or water can transport bacteria, viruses, and parasites to unwitting hosts.
USAID works in partnership with countries around the world to reduce diarrheal disease prevalence and improve child survival through sustainable improvements in three key hygiene behaviors: handwashing with soap, safe feces disposal, and safe storage and treatment of drinking water at the household level. These health-focused interventions complement community and municipal water supply infrastructure programs by empowering households with the tools to protect their own health.
Each year, more than 3.5 million children under 5 die of diarrhea and pneumonia. At the same time, handwashing with soap is seldom practiced and not always easy to promote.
The key is to turn handwashing with soap from an abstract idea into an automatic behavior performed in homes, schools, and communities all over the world. 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 (ARIs) by one quarter. More handwashing with soap would significantly contribute to reducing deaths among children under the age of 5.
Handwashing Fights Flu
As recently emphasized by outbreaks of H1N1 influenza, the likelihood that an emerging infectious disease will spark a global pandemic remains a significant threat. In collaboration with the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and other partners, USAID provides support to help host-country governments develop and strengthen national preparedness plans. Since 2005, USAID has committed $543 million through its avian and pandemic influenza program to support pandemic prevention and preparedness across the globe. This includes campaigns to encourage handwashing.
Facts About Handwashing
- More than 5,000 children every day – 1.7 million children every year – under the age of 5 die from diarrheal diseases. Diarrhea is the second most common cause of death in children, accounting for 18 percent of all under-5 deaths.
- Handwashing at critical times – including after using the toilet and before eating or preparing food – can reduce diarrhea rates by almost 44 percent among children under 5.
- Handwashing with soap can reduce ARIs by around 23 percent. Pneumonia, a major ARI, takes the life of an estimated 1.8 million children per year and is the number one cause of mortality among children under five years old.
- Diarrhea and pneumonia account for nearly 3.5 million child deaths each year.
- Observed rates of handwashing with soap at critical moments – i.e, before handling food and after using the toilet – are very low, ranging from 0 to 34 percent.
- A recent study shows that when birth attendants and mothers washed their hands with soap, it significantly increased newborn survival rates by up to 44 percent.
- Handwashing with soap is one of the most cost-effective interventions to prevent deaths and disease resulting from diarrhea.
Additional Information
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