United Nations Radio

The first-ever Global Handwashing Day will be observed Wednesday 15 October.

The initiative by the Public /Private Partnership on Handwashing is being done to focus attention on hygiene where the basic act of washing one's hands is a very essential part of providing good sanitation.

Carolien van der Voorden of the Secretariat for the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council says this is being done as part of International year of Sanitation and aims to reduce the number of child deaths from diarrhea which kills 2 million children worldwide every year.

"It's been proven that this is actually the most cost-effective health intervention there is. To get handwashing really practised around the world costs about $3. per person versus for instance $11.00 that it would cost to have sanitation and $100 I think for water supply."

Van der Vooden says studies show that most people have soap in their households, but they don't use it.

Rather they keep it for use by special visitors or for washing, but not to do handwashing.

About 500,000 deaths occur in West and Central Africa from diarrhea, making it the third leading killer of children in the region.

This is Donn Bobb reporting for United Nations Radio.

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