Washing hands prevents diseases in children

Washing hands with soap can reduce the number of young children suffering from pneumonia by half. Pneumonia is the leading killer of children below 5 years of age, worldwide. This can also reduce cases of diarrhoea and the skin infection impetigo greatly. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta have shown improved hygiene could save many lives, particularly in poor countries. There are even more health benefits to the simple act of hand washing than previously appreciated. It is therefore important to promote washing of hands more often. In developing countries, more than 27,000 children under the age of five die every day from preventable causes. Pneumonia and other respiratory infections kill an estimated 2 million children each year. Almost three-quarters of those who die are less than a year old. Washing of hands with soap is particularly important in poor countries because of so many pathogens in the environment. Also, children do not have the same level of nutrition and access to healthcare as compared to those in richer nations. So they are more vulnerable to infectious diseases. Removing the pathogens from low income households has greater health benefits than it would in London or Atlanta. Researchers compared the impact of routinely washing of hands with soap in 900 households in squatter settlements in Karachi, Pakistan over a year. About 600 households received supplies of regular or antibacterial soap, while 300 acted as a control group received, school supplies. The homes were visited weekly to encourage better hygiene. Cases of pneumonia and diarrhoea were cut by 50 percent in families given soap as compared to the control group. There was a 34 percent drop in impetigo. But there was no difference in households given the two types of soap. The findings suggest that washing hands is particularly important before preparing food and eating, after using the toilet and after cleaning an infant to reduce the amount of pathogens. Hence, hand-hygiene promotion should be a worldwide priority for public health and health care.