The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Global Hand Wash Day on Oct. 15

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Sunday, Oct 12, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Global Hand Wash Day on Oct. 15

Diarrhoea alone kills almost two million children every year
One out of every five of these children is an Indian

HYDERABAD: A mere hand wash with soap can save a thousand innocent children from death in the country.

Sounds incredible, but the truth is that washing hands properly with soap can prevent diarrhoea that kills 41 children every minute in India.

According to World Health Organisation, diarrhoea alone kills almost two million children every year, making it the second leading killer of children worldwide. And one out of every five of these children who die of diarrhoea is an Indian.

A simple hygiene habit – washing hands with soap – could halve this figure.

According to London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, washing hands with soap and water reduces diarrhoeal incidences by 47 per cent.

To highlight this aspect and inculcate the habit of hygiene among kids Global Hand Wash Day (GHWD) is being observed on October 15 for the first time across the world.

Some private players in association with public agencies too have decided to observe the day in a grand way with the sole aim of putting the overlooked hygiene challenge in the forefront of International agenda.

In India the day will be marked by hand wash being performed across the country with the local partners Lifebuoy, FXB suraksha, Plan India and Wateraid.

The Public-Private Partnership for Hand Washing (PPPHW) - www.globalhandwashing.org - feels that although people around the world wash their hands with water, very few wash their hands with soap at critical moments like after using the toilet, while cleaning a child, and before handling food.

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