Global Handwashing Day

CEBU, Philippines – On October 15, the world celebrated the 8th Global Handwashing Day (GHD). The event was started in 2008 by the Global Private-Public Partnership for Handwashing, purposely to generate public awareness on the importance of handwashing with soap to people’s health.

In the Philippines, this year’s celebration simultaneously took place in three key cities: Manila, Cebu and Davao. It was under the auspices of Safeguard Philippines. The theme was “Linis- Lusog sa Global Handwashing Day,” highlighting proper handwashing with soap as a cost-effective solution to prevent diseases, including diarrhea and pneumonia.

The celebration was aimed to educate students and parents alike about the other everyday sources of germs. To drive home the point, fun scavenger hunts for germs were conducted. Students were made to search through different locations in the school, the home and the playground for germs to collect. Participants were surprised to find out that there were more germs “than meets the eye,” as UV light revealed the invisible lotion that was secretly applied on their skin while they searched through the locations. The lotion simulated the invisible, disease-causing germs from everyday items.

Procter and Gamble (P&G), makers of Safeguard soap, is one of the founding members of the global handwashing partnership, and a leading advocate of GHD in the Philippines.

Diarrhea and pneumonia continue to be the top causes of child mortality in the Philippines. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 13 children die every day because of diarrhea. The figure accounts for almost 5,000 deaths annually. Statistics also indicate that an estimated 37 children under the age of five die from pneumonia per day.

This year marks the deadline of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, which includes reduction of child mortality. But despite the progress made over the past few years, the Philippines is determined to continue implementing intervention beyond 2015, to reduce preventable deaths like diarrhea and pneumonia.

Many Filipinos are still not aware that disease-causing germs can be found in seemingly unlikely places. A study conducted by P&G shows that disease-causing germs may be found on everyday items like mobile phones, ATMs, kitchen sinks, water bottle and many more.

While disease-causing germs are everywhere, these are easy to remove with proper hygiene and frequent washing with soap. Diseases can be prevented and the overall health improved by washing with soap. Multiple studies reveal that handwashing with soap cuts the incidence of diarrhea by nearly half. One study (in Pakistan) has found that the same habit also reduced the number of pneumonia-related infections by more than half.

Clean hands help prevent the transmission of diseases from one person to the next – help keep families, classrooms, schools and communities healthy and safe. Safeguard soap prides of its improved Triple-Shield technology with patented Zinc Pyrithione (ZPT) that “not only provides protection against more types of germs, but also helps reduce the re-growth in between washes.”

P&G works closely with UNICEF, the Department of Education and the Department of Health in promoting health and hygiene in communities, by building handwashing facilities and implementing hygiene education programs in public schools nationwide. Safeguard also collaborates with various organizations to help promote handwashing with soap, most recently among 8,000 school children in Tacloban.

“Handwashing with soap is the most cost-effective way to save lives,” says Procter & Gamble Philippines general manager Shankar Viswanathan. “Safeguard is committed to promote health and hygiene among Filipino families, particularly in communities that need help the most. Global Handwashing Day is just one of the ways that we bring this commitment to life.”