Millions Soap Up to Commemorate Global Handwashing Day
October 15, 2010
We celebrate Global Handwashing Day with the great hope of a healthier future for children and families.
Studies have shown that hand washing with soap can cut deaths from diarrhea by almost 50 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.
People all over the world wash their hands with water. But in terms of removing germs, washing hands with water alone is significantly less effective than washing hands with soap, and hand washing with soap is seldom practiced.
Hand washing with soap works by interrupting the transmission of disease. 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 like nasal excretions, and contaminated foods or water can transport bacteria, viruses, and parasites to unwitting hosts.
The United States works in partnership with host countries 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.
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, after cleaning a child’s bottom, and before eating or handling food.
On December 1, 2005, the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act made access to safe water and sanitation for developing countries a specific policy objective of U.S. foreign assistance programs. As a result, the United States has strengthened its response to water, sanitation, and hygiene challenges in developing countries. Promoting Global Handwashing Day is essential to advancing the goals of the Act.
Global Handwashing Day will be the centerpiece of global activities that will mobilize millions of people in more than 80 countries to wash their hands with soap.
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