The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has complained that the level of hand-washing with soap is “dangerously low” despite its proven benefits to child health.
It comes as the world marks Global Hand-washing Day, less than a month after the UN adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including hygiene for the first time in the global agenda.
One of the SDG targets is to achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene by 2030.
Global head of UNICEF’s water, sanitation and hygiene programmes, Sanjay Wijesekera said in a statement that UN estimates that 800 out of 1,400 child deaths from diarrhoea each day can be attributed to inadequate water, sanitation or hygiene.
Infants in the first month of life are particularly vulnerable to diseases.
“Along with drinking water and access to toilets, hygiene – particularly handwashing with soap – is the essential third leg of the stool holding up the Goal on water and sanitation,” he said.
