Hand Washing to Prevent Transmission of Disease

Hand washing to prevent disease transmission. This call was often heard, but often overlooked. According to UNICEF, every year, thousands of children die from diseases that arise due to carelessness in washing hands.
 To raise awareness about the effectiveness of the method is simple, hand washing, prevent spread of disease, the year 2010 was for the third time again held the World Hand Washing Day. Especially young children are expected to learn to wash their hands regularly.
On Friday (15/10), children, parents and teachers around the world together with the UN agency for children UNICEF held the action to improve hygiene in daily life. At the World Hand Washing Day, participants from more than 80 countries took part in the relationship between hygiene education campaigns and disease, UNICEF reported.
With the motto "Not Just One Day Only", Global Hand Washing Day was held with various actions, demonstrations and campaigns through the media for hygiene education programs.
In Germany, opened this action, the Chairman of UNICEF Germany Jürgen Heraeus, said, "Sometimes simple things can save lives."
Washing your hands regularly using soap and water, including one method that in addition to potent also relatively cheap. If you wash your hands using soap has become a habit in society, this will reduce the risk of outbreak of diarrheal disease more than 40 percent and reduce the risk of respiratory tract infections almost 25 percent.
However, according to the UN Children's Aid Foundation, around the world only a few people, who have the habit to wash hands properly. And a third of the world's population do not even realize the importance of clean hands in their daily lives, such as before eating or after using the toilet.
In commemoration of this year 2010, also emphasized the importance of hygiene education for school-age children, especially children who are still in kindergarten. Because especially, young children who are most at risk of contracting the disease because their immune systems are still weak. And diseases such as diarrhea and colds usually spread by skin contact.
Even more problematic is the situation in some developing countries. In these countries, die every year more than three million children from diarrhea and pneumonia. This figure is higher than the total number of deaths from AIDS and Malaria. Actually, most of these deaths could be prevented by washing hands properly.
Sebastian Dietrich doctor from Berlin, Germany, who regularly worked in Africa, reveal, how often he is faced with the problem of washing this hand. In many countries, he said, people living in rural or non-school education, do not know the relationship between hands dirty with diarrhea. "And this is part of our task. However, if there was no water and soap or if people can not afford to buy soap, they also can not wash their hands effectively."
Extension hand hygiene is important, not only in African countries or Asia, but also in Europe. According to studies made by British researchers, stated that, even in Europe about 50 percent of the adult age group do not wash their hands properly. Concluded, who do not learn properly from childhood, then it is probable that someone hygienic behavior may change.
Source: DW-World.de