"We are very happy that so many people in China and around the world are celebrating global handwashing day," said Dr. Yin Yin Nwe, UNICEF China Representative, "We need to get the message out that handwashing costs very little and can save many lives."
Next on China's calendar of events celebrating Global Handwashing Day is the 25 October launch of a major hygiene promotion campaign in Sichuan Province's Beichuan County, epicentre of the devastating earthquake that killed 70,000 people in May. The campaign will target the 1.5 million people displaced by the earthquake, many living in cramped or unsanitary conditions, and call attention to handwashing as the single most cost-effective health intervention.
Handwashing is a simple and ordinary behaviour, but one with extraordinary results, especially for children. The World Health Organization estimates that 90% of the 18 million children who die every year are children under the age of 5. If handwashing were better promoted, about half of these poor children could be saved.
In recent years, UNICEF China has worked with government counterparts to promote hygiene and handwashing, critical in the aftermath of the SARS epidemic that struck China in 2003. Handwashing is also effective in reducing the risk of the outbreak of disease like Avian influenza; and foot, mouth, and hand disease; as well as chronic diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections.
Efforts to promote hygiene take on special significance in 2008, the International Year of Sanitation. Over 70 countries have responded to the call for improved hygiene and sanitation by hosting events for Global Handwashing Day. UNICEF's hygiene campaigns in China, which include strong media participation, will continue over the coming years to promote knowledge and change hygiene attitudes and practices.
About UNICEF in China:
UNICEF first assisted China between 1947 and 1951, providing emergency services, food and nutrition, health and hygiene training during and after the Revolutionary War. In 1979 UNICEF officially commenced its cooperation with the Government of China to support child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence.
Picture Caption: Students learn how to wash their hands correctly at the Global Handwashing Day in Beijing on October 18.
Credit: UNICEF/China
For further information, please contact:
Dale Rutstein, UNICEF China,