Proper handwashing may save the lives of 800 children a day worldwide – UNICEF

In a news release, Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF’s global head of water, sanitation and hygiene said: “Every year, 1.4 million children are dying from largely preventable diseases like pneumonia and diarrhoea,” numbers, he says, that “could be greatly reduced by working with children and families to adopt a very straightforward solution – handwashing.”
Handwashing with soap before meals and after toilet use has been shown to reduce diarrhoeal infections by 40 per cent, said UNICEF.
Moreover, handwashing not only reduces the rate of infection, but also keeps children in school, as are not staying home due to illness. Mr. Wijesekera calls it “a frontline preventive measure.”
Since the Hurricane Matthew made landfall in Haiti on 4 October, a poor water and sanitation infrastructure have given rise to acute diarrhoea and suspected cholera cases.
The UNICEF Representative in Haiti, Marc Vincent referred to it as “everyone’s worst nightmare. Less than two weeks after the hurricane, cholera may be spreading in areas where it previously barely existed and diarrhoea is preying on already vulnerable children. Immediate action is essential – children’s health is at risk.”
UNICEF offers the following facts about the importance of handwashing: