Enjoying hand wash........

Handwashing with soap (HWWS) is among the most effective and inexpensive ways to prevent diarrheal diseases and pneumonia, which together are responsible for the majority of child deaths. This behavior is projected to become a significant contribution to meeting the Millennium Development Goal of reducing deaths among children under the age of five by two-thirds by 2015. October 15 has been appointed to become Global Handwashing Day in accordance with year 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation by the United Nations.

Hands often act as vectors that carry disease-causing pathogens from person to person, either through direct contact or indirectly via surfaces. Humans can spread bacteria by touching other people's hand, hair, nose, and face. Hands that have been in contact with human or animal feces, bodily fluids like nasal excretions, and contaminated foods or water can transport bacteria, viruses and parasites to unwitting hosts. Hand washing with soap works by interrupting the transmission of disease.

Washing hands with water alone is significantly less effective than washing hands with soap in terms of removing germs. Although using soap in hand washing breaks down the grease and dirt that carry most germs, using soap also means additional time consumed during the massaging, rubbing, and friction to dislodge them from fingertips, and between the fingers, in comparison with just using water for handwashing.

Effective hand-washing with soap takes 8 – 15 seconds, followed by thorough rinsing with running water. acute respiratory infections (including SARS and bird flu), helminth infections (especially ascariasis), and eye infections.

In a research published by British Medical Journal on November 2007, physical barriers, such as regular handwashing and wearing masks, gloves and gowns, may be more effective than drugs to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses such as influenza and SARS. In the case of such respiratory diseases, washing your hands is especially important before touching your eyes, nose or mouth. The finding was published as Britain announced it was doubling its stockpile of antiviral medicines in preparation for any future flu pandemic. The researchers found that simple, low-cost physical measures should be given higher priority in national pandemic contingency plans. Other evidence suggests that the use of vaccines and antiviral drugs will be insufficient to interrupt the spread of influenza says the report. Handwashing and wearing masks, gloves and gowns were effective individually in preventing the spread of respiratory viruses, and were even more effective when combined. However, further trials needed to evaluate the best combinations. Another study, published in the Cochrane Library journal on 2007, finds handwashing with just soap and water to be a simple and effective way to curb the spread of respiratory viruses, from everyday cold viruses to deadly pandemic strains.

Other research conducted by the World Bank regarding health policy shows that health measures like hand washing with soap did not get enough promotion compared to the promotion of influenza drugs by medical staff. This was worse for people living in isolated locations who were difficult to reach by mass media (like radio and TV).

• Diarrheal disease. A review of more than 30 studies found that handwashing with soap cuts the incidence of diarrhea by nearly half. Diarrheal diseases are often described as water-related, as the pathogens come from fecal matter and make people ill when they enter the mouth via hands that have been contact with feces, contaminated drinking water, unwashed raw food, unwashed utensils or smears on clothes. Research shows handwashing with soap breaks the cycle and is effective in reducing diarrhea cases in comparison to other interventions. Reduction in diarrheal morbidity (%) per invention type shows that handwashing with soap (44%), point of use water treatment (39%), sanitation (32%), hygiene education (28%), water supply (25%), source water treatment (11%).
• Acute respiratory infection. Handwashing reduces respiratory infections by two ways: by removing respiratory pathogens that are found on hands and surfaces and by removing other pathogens (in particular, entreric viruses) that have been found to cause not only diarrhea, but also respiratory symptoms. A study in Pakistan found that handwashing with soap reduce the number of pneumonia-related infection in children under the age of five by more than 50 percent.
• Intestinal worm, skin infections, and eye infections. Hand washing with soap also reduces the incidence of skin diseases; eye infections like trachoma and intestinal worms, especially ascariasis and trichuriasis.