"The Power is in your hands"
Today, it may seem unnecessary to dedicate a day to the commemoration of an act of hygiene as simple and daily as the washing of hands with soap. However, this practice, considered a key and cost-effective (cheap) intervention that saves lives, is not as widespread as we can imagine.
Hand washing with soap is very little practiced: many people around the world wash their hands only with water, in the belief that to keep their hands clean is enough to remove visible dirt. For this reason, the rates of hand washing with soap at critical times, ie after using the toilet and before handling food, are very low (from zero to 34 percent).
In 2008, World Handwashing Day, a UNICEF initiative supported by all members of the Global Public-Private Partnership for the Promotion of Handwashing (PPPHW), was commemorated on 15 October. acronym in English). The purpose of World Handwashing Day is to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of handwashing with soap and water as an effective and cheap means of preventing disease. This celebration, initially addressed to groups of children and schools, has now been extended to other intervention sectors because of its importance and impact.
This motto is "Power is in your hands," because everyone has the power to make communities healthier if they wash their hands with soap.
Steps to wash your hands:
- Washing your hands with only water is not enough: Washing your hands with only water is significantly less effective than washing your hands with soap. Proper hand washing requires soap and a small amount of water. Using soap facilitates rubbing, allowing to dissolve and remove grease and dirt, which contain most germs; also leaves a pleasant smell in the hands.
- Hand washing with soap can prevent diseases that kill millions of children each year: hand washing with soap is one of the most effective ways to prevent diarrhea diseases and pneumonia, which are responsible for the majority of deaths children. Each year, more than 3.5 million children die before their fifth birthday due to these diseases. It can also prevent other infections such as intestinal parasites, influenza, eye and skin infections. Research shows that hand washing is effective in preventing disease transmission even in poor, heavily populated and contaminated settlements.
- Critical moments for hand washing with soap are after using the bathroom or cleaning a child and before handling food: the hands are the main carriers of germs that cause illness. They should be washed with soap often, but always after using the toilet, after cleaning a child's stools (or after any other contact with human excreta, including those of infants and children) and before handling food. It is important to ensure that people have facilities to wash their hands at these critical times. There are simple, low-cost solutions that are within the financial and technological possibilities of all communities, even the poorest.
- Hand washing with soap is the most cost - effective health intervention: promoting hand washing is effective and inexpensive compared to funding that other health interventions require. Investing $ 3.35 in hand washing brings the same health benefits as a $ 11 investment in latrine construction, or a $ 200 investment in home water supplies, or an investment of thousands of dollars in vaccines.
- Children can be agents of change: the purpose of World Hand washing Day is to motivate children to embrace and share appropriate hand washing practices and make them "hand washing ambassadors" in each initiatives at the national and local levels.
World Handwashing Day Logo
When it comes to sharing good hygiene practices, children can act as agents of change and convey the "hands-on" lessons they learn at school to their homes and communities.
And what about you?
Show us when and how you wash your hands!
