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WHY HANDWASHING WITH SOAP?
Handwashing with soap is the “vaccine” that
prevents infections.
Here is why: Human feces are the main source of
diarrheal pathogens. They are the source of shigellosis,
typhoid, cholera, all other common endemic gastro-enteric
infections and some respiratory infections such as influenza and
pneumonia. A single gram of human feces can contain 10 million
viruses and one million bacteria.
These pathogens are passed from an infected host
to a new one via various routes but all of these illnesses
emanate from feces. Removing excreta and cleaning hands with
soap after contact with fecal material –from using the toilet or
cleaning a child – prevents the transmission of the bacteria,
viruses and protozoa that cause diarrheal diseases.
Other measures (food handling, water
purification, and fly control) have an impact on these diseases
as well, but sanitation and handwashing provide the necessary
protection against fecal contact. They start by creating initial
barriers to fecal pathogens from reaching the domestic
environment. Handwashing with soap stops the transmission of
disease agents and so can significantly reduce diarrhea and
respiratory infections, and may impact skin and eye infections.
Research shows
that children living in households exposed to handwashing
promotion and soap had half the diarrheal rates of children
living in control neighborhoods. Because handwashing can prevent
the transmission of a variety of pathogens, it may be more
effective than any single vaccine. Promoted on a wide enough
scale, handwashing with soap can be thought of as a
“do-it-yourself” vaccine. Ingraining the habit of
handwashing could save more lives than any single vaccine or
medical intervention. |
