ABSTRACT
Handwashing is one of the easiest and most effective opportunities to enjoy substantial health benefi ts. Meta-analytic evidence associates handwashing with reduction in risks of diarrheal diseases by 42-47 percent, severe intestinal infections by 48 percent, and shigellosis by 59 percent; extrapolation analyses suggest that handwashing could avert 0.5-1.4 million potential diarrhea deaths (Curtis & Cairncross, 2003). In a randomized controlled trial of 906 households in Karachi, Pakistan, households that were (vs. were not) given handwashing promotion and plain soap showed substantial reductions in childhood incidences of pneumonia (by 50 percent) and diarrhea (by 53 percent). Antibacterial soap worked similarly well (Luby et al., 2005) on these two clinical syndromes that bring about the most childhood deaths around the world, especially in poor communities in developing countries. Similar effects of handwashing promotion on respiratory tract infections and respiratory illness have been found among children and adults in developed countries including Canada, Australia and the United States (Master, Hess Longe, & Dickson, 1997; Niffenegger, 1997; Carabin et al., 1999; Roberts et al., 2000; Ryan, Christian, & Wohlrabe, 2001). The health impact of handwashing is signifi cant enough that October 15 is designated as Global Handwashing Day, when people all over the world are educated about the practices and benefi ts of effective handwashing.
