Vital to wash hands in spite of drought

OVER a million children die every year of diseases such as diarrhoea and pneumonia due to a lack of sanitation, according to the Global Handwashing Partnership (GHP).

As today marks Global Handwashing Day, GHP said washing hands with soap was among the most effective and inexpensive ways to prevent these diseases.

This year’s theme is “Our Hands, Our Future”, as a reminder that hand washing protects health.

David Shimkus, the programme director for the Global Sanitation Fund, Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, said globally it was estimated that only 19% of people wash their hands after contact with excreta.

He said: “The percentage of people gaining access to hand-washing facilities is severely lagging, with only one in four people in lowincome countries having hand-washing facilities with soap and water at home, according to Unicef and the World Health Organisation.”

However Shimkus said while accessing water and soap remained a challenge in rural areas, “a main hindrance in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector is the lack of strong knowledge and practices on effective handwashing behaviour change interventions.”

He said their research found community-based interventions were the most effective way change handwashing and sanitation behaviour.

“Hand-washing is critical to good hygiene because germs are transmitted so easily, particularly in the warmer months.”

JP Smith, the City’s mayoral committee member for Safety, Security and Social Services, said: “I appeal to the public to instil the habit of hand-washing in their children from a young age. It is also important when working with food.”

Smith said hand-washing could be done effectively with very little water.

See Letters Page 8