Lifebuoy marks 'Global Hand Washing Day'

The fifth anniversary of the Global Hand Washing Day was marked recently. The global public-private partnership, commenced in 2008. The day is dedicated to motivating and mobilising millions around the world to wash their hands with soap to prevent infectious diseases.

Children practising proper hand washing.

"Hand washing with soap is the single most effective and inexpensive way to prevent infectious diseases. Hands that look clean can have millions of unseen germs, which cannot be removed by washing only with water. Washing hands with soap is a must to get clean hands. Statistics show that diarrhoea and pneumonia together account for almost 3.5 million child deaths annually.

Hand washing with soap was promoted to save more lives than any single vaccine or medical intervention. It can reduce the number of deaths from diarrhoea by almost half and deaths from acute respiratory infections by one quarter", a spokesman for the company said.

"Unilever Sri Lanka with Lifebuoy has been conducting many programs since 2008 to inculcate washing of hands with soap among children to mark Global Hand Washing Day,.

This year's celebrations included media-led awareness programs. Lifebuoy enabled the public to organise their own hand washing day awareness programs in villages and the neighbourhood", he said.