On the occasion of Global Handwashing day Lifebuoy plans to get 1 crore children in the state of Andhra Pradesh to pledge towards washing hands with soap


On the occasion of Global Handwashing day today Lifebuoy plans to get 1 crore children in the state of Andhra Pradesh to pledge towards washing hands with soap some time this month to observe Global Handwashing Day 2010.

National President of Indian Public Health Association (IPHA) Dr Chandrakant S Pandav said the Indian Public Health spreading the hand hygiene message "to pledge to wash their hands with soap before eating" and to spread the word on the importance of this to friends, family, and fellow colleagues who are not practicing this healthy habit.

Dr Chandrakant said handwashing with soap before eating can save lives, make that your new mantra this Global Handwashing Day and everyday! every year over 3.5 million children, aged below five years, succumb to diarrhoea and pneumonia.

And one of out every five victims is an Indian child! What few know is that scrubbing hands regularly with water and soap can prevent us from contracting a number of respiratory and diarrheal diseases.

Handwashing with soap can also reduce skin infections, eye infections, intestinal worms, swine flu, pandemic flu, SARS, avian flu, trachoma, parasitic worm infections, neonatal mortality, school absenteeism, sickness in AIDS.