The New Nation - Internet Edition

Germs from unwashed hands that reach the stomach with foods, multiply thousands of times speakers said this at a press conference yesterday.

Department of Public Health Engineering, UNICEF and Unilever-Lifeboy jointly organised the press conference to observe World Hand Washing day.

Md Mustafizur Rahman, Chief Engineer of Department of Public Health Engineering(DPHE) yesterday said this at a press conference at DPHE. Among others, Amanullah-al-mahmood, Project Director of GOB-Unicef Projrct of DPHE, Arthur T Kodua, Officer in Charge of Water and Environmental Sanitation Section of Unicef, Dr Andrew Treuelt, Environmental Health Adviser of Who and Mahtab Hasan, Product Group Manager of Unilever addressed the conference.

Germs from one hundred thousandth part of feces give birth to another two million germs after getting into human body. The unwashed hands pave the way for these germs to get into our body.

He said, "To promote hand washing with soap after defecation and before meal, more than 16 million children from 73,000 primary and secondary schools will wash their hands with Lifeboy soap and pledge on 22 October since schools are closed due to religious festival."

The schools would also be awarded 'Global Hand Washing' certificate he added.

Studies have proven that effective hand washing -- for at least 20 seconds -- with soap, cuts deaths from pneumonia and diarrhoea by some 50 percent.

Hand washing with soap before meals and after using the toilet, is the single most inexpensive health intervention in the world.

Sanitation offers the chance of saving the lives of more than a half a million children in the region each year and it also would make a significant contribution to the region meeting the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs.

South Asia has the highest rate in the world of people using no toilet at all - 48 % of the population - with some 778 million people still relying on open defecation, the riskiest sanitation practice of all.

The hygiene promotion activities and events are aimed at lifting the lid on this, one of the world's "last taboos" which presents serious health risks from diarrhoea, worm infestations, hepatitis and acute respiratory infections like pneumonia - all the biggest killers of children.

It is also one of the greatest environmental hazards and the greatest contributor to malnutrition in the region.

In Bangladesh, according to the Health Impact Study conducted by ICDDR,B in 100 randomly selected communities in 34 districts in 2008, and supported jointly by UNICEF and the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE), 14% of people reported washing hands with soap before eating, but less than 1% of people were seen to do this during observation. Similarly 56% of people reported washing hands with soap or ash after defecation, but only 17% of people were seen to do this during observation. While many people surveyed practice some form of handwashing, in most cases people do not use soap or ash and only one hand is washed. Such practices do not remove the germs and do not prevent the transmission of diseases such as diarrhea or pneumonia. The Study shows that the disease burden and the cost of care is significant for households.