Agencies marked Global Handwashing Day on 15 October, with calls for preventing disease outbreaks through better hygiene.
David Shimkus, Programme Director of the Global Sanitation Fund, WSSCC, noted that handwashing promotion has yet to transform habits, and called for more research into the prospects for behavioral change.
Following Global Handwashing Day, the University of North Carolina, US, hosted the 2017 Water and Health Conference, which highlighted action on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) around the world.
20 October 2017: Agencies marked Global Handwashing Day on 15 October, with calls for preventing disease outbreaks through better hygiene, including washing hands with soap. The Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) noted that handwashing promotion has yet to transform habits, and called for more research into the prospects for behavioral change. Following Global Handwashing Day and organized by its Water Institute, the University of North Carolina, US, hosted the 2017 Water and Health Conference. The Conference highlighted global action on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).
At the Water and Health conference, which took place from 16-20 October, WSSCC staff took part in events addressing handwashing, behavior change, and menstrual hygiene management (MHM). WSSCC also convened a side event on transgender access to WASH, and highlighted ways that MHM programmes can cater to people with disabilities.
David Shimkus, WSSCC Programme Director, cited research showing less than one-fifth of all people in the world wash their hands after contact with excreta.
David Shimkus, WSSCC Programme Director, cited research showing less than one-fifth of all people in the world wash their hands after contact with excreta, although the practice of handwashing with soap can cut the risk of diarrheal disease by almost half. He drew attention to community-based interventions as the most effective method for behavior change.
In the lead-up to Global Handwashing Day, the World Bank highlighted its programmes to bring drinking water and toilets to the schoolchildren of Cameroon. In areas previously torn by conflict, the Bank has sunk bore wells to provide clean water, and has funded the building of school latrines. Teachers have been supported to ensure good hygiene and hand washing practices among students. The improvements in facilities have included a fall in absenteeism – in one case, from 75% to just 3%. [Blog Post by David Shimkus] [Global Handwashing Partnership Website] [WSSCC Web Page on UNC Water and Health Conference] [Report on ‘Handwashing and Sanitation Behavior Change in WASH Interventions] [World Bank Press Release]