Simple Handwashing with Soap Can Save Children’s Lives

Handwashing with soap can reduce the number of pneumonia-related infections in children under the age of five by more than 50%, according to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Procter & Gamble Beauty. This is the first field study to show that handwashing can help prevent pneumonia, the leading killer of children under age 5 worldwide.

The study also showed that handwashing with soap significantly reduced the number of diarrheal infections, the second leading cause of death in children under age 5. In addition, there was a 47% reduction in the prevalence of impetigo, a skin infection, in children who bathed daily with soap.

“Many people, even in well-developed countries like the United States, do not realize that they should wash their hands with soap and water for at least 15 seconds, and that water alone is not as effective,” said Tim Long, Ph.D., a principal scientist with P&G Beauty. “Parents should encourage children to wash their hands with soap and water as long as it takes them to sing their ABCs.”

Conney Safety offers a wide variety of Hand Soaps, Lotions and Cleansers.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 24th, 2009 at 7:45 am and is filed under Safety Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.