On Global Handwashing Day (Oc. 15), UNICEF reminds everyone -- especially children -- that proper hand washing at the proper times helps reduce diarrhea illnesses by a third and respiratory illnesses by almost a fifth.
UNICEF urges children, families and communities to make washing hands with soap a habit to help prevent the spread of diseases.
It noted that in 2015, more than 300,000 children under the age of five died globally from diarrheal infections linked to poor access to safe drinking water and sanitation -- a rate of more than 800 per day. Many of these deaths could have been prevented through the simple act of handwashing with soap.
"Every year, 1.4 million children are dying from largely preventable diseases like pneumonia and diarrhoea," said Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF's global head of water, sanitation and hygiene.
"These are staggering numbers, but they could be greatly reduced by working with children and families to adopt a very straightforward solution -- handwashing. We know, for example, that handwashing with soap before meals and after using the toilet could reduce the incidence of diarrheal infections by 40 percent."
Proper handwashing practice also contributes to the healthy development of children by keeping them in school. Handwashing actually improves school attendance by reducing the spread of preventable diseases, which means children are not staying home because of illness.
"Handwashing just makes sense as a frontline preventive measure to keep children safe from disease - it's simple, cost effective and a proven lifesaver," said Wijesekera.
UNICEF has compiled these facts about handwashing:
* 1 gram of feces contains 100 billion bacteria.
* Only 1 in 5 people globally wash their hands after using the toilet.
* Each year, 1.7 million children do not live to celebrate their fifth birthday because of diarrhea and pneumonia.
* When children wash their hands with soap after going to the toilet or before eating, they reduce their risk of getting diarrhea by more than 40 percent.
* Acute respiratory infections like pneumonia are the leading cause of death in children under the age of five.
* Evidence suggests that handwashing with soap after using the toilet and before eating could reduce the pneumonia infection rate among children by around a quarter.
Since 2008, Global Handwashing Day has been celebrated annually on Oct. 15 worldwide. The Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap founded Global Handwashing Day and encourages school children, teachers and families to get involved.