Tag: handwashing

Händewaschen mit Seife ist Pandemieschutz – in Deutschland und weltweit

Pressemeldung der German Toilet Organization:

Schülerinnen und Schüler beim Gruppenhändewaschen an einer Schule auf den Philippinen
(© GIZ, Fit for School Programm)

Berlin, 21.03.2020 – Die COVID-19 Pandemie greift um sich. Neuartige Viren oder Multiresistente Keime kennen keine Grenzen. Sie entstehen in der Regel dort, wo hygienische Mängel am gravierendsten sind. Obwohl führende Hygieneforscher dem Händewaschen mit Seife im Kampf gegen Pandemien eine ähnliche hohe Bedeutung wie dem Impfen zumessen, haben 36 % der Schulen weltweit keine Handwaschvorrichtungen. Die German Toilet Organization fordert, dass Deutschland die internationale Verantwortung annimmt und das Thema Hygiene auf die Agenda der G7 und ihrer EU Ratspräsidentschaft im zweiten Halbjahr dieses Jahres setzt. Continue reading “Händewaschen mit Seife ist Pandemieschutz – in Deutschland und weltweit”

Global Handwashing Day 2012

Only one third of all people wash their hands with soap after using the toilet or before
eating. The consequences are fatal. Each day, about 3,600 children under five die from diarrhea.

Diarrheal diseases in children are still the second most common cause of death. Medical studies show that regular hand washing with soap can prevent half of all diarrheal.

In Europe alone, the annually recuring influenze epidemics or severe virus epidemics could be tackled through improved hygiene. The EHEC epidemic in Germany in 2011, or the recently imported Noro virus from China which paralyzed many students in German primary schools, clearly demonstrate the need for regular handwashing with soap. It’s so easy, yet often neglected.

GTO World Hand Wash Day 2012

To raise awareness for the need of regular hand washing with soap, the German Toilet Organization e.V. will today celebrate Global Handwashing Day 2012 at Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin – along with students from four schools in Berlin. The art installations by the students will show the importance of hand washing with soap and also demonstrate why toilets are an integral part of healthy living.

Around the world, over 200 million people are involved in celebrations in over 100 countries. Global Handwashing is endorsed by a wide array of governments, international institutions, civil society organizations, NGOs, private companies, and individuals.

So, what is your local community doing on Global Handwashing Day 2012?

Global Handwashing Day

Today is Global Handwashing Day!

GHD Wallpaper1

“The guiding vision of Global Handwashing Day is a local and global culture of handwashing with soap. Although people around the world wash their hands with water, very few wash their hands with soap at the critical occasions.”

There even is a dedicated website for this cause with further information on why we actually need a Global Handwashing Day:

“Handwashing with soap is the most effective and inexpensive way to prevent diarrheal and acute respiratory infections, which take the lives of millions of children in developing countries every year. Together, they are responsible for the majority of all child deaths. Yet, despite its lifesaving potential, handwashing with soap is seldom practiced and difficult to promote. (…) A vast change in handwashing behavior is critical to meeting the Millennium Development Goal of reducing deaths among children under the age of five by two-thirds by 2015.”

Have you already washed your hands with soap today?