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Global Handwashing Day

Global Handwashing Day is a way to support a global and local culture of handwashing with soap, shine a spotlight on the state of handwashing in each country, and raise awareness about the benefits of handwashing with soap.1 It has been celebrated on October 15th worldwide each year since 2008 by school children, teachers, families, and others, and was established by the Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing.

That makes it Global Handwashing Day’s 5th birthday! Global Handwashing Day has much to celebrate and is honored to share its 5th birthday with more than 121 million children around the world who are also turning 5 this year.

Handwashing Saves Lives

About 2.2 million children5 under the age of 5 die each year from diarrheal diseases and pneumonia, the top two killers of young children around the world.2 Handwashing is not only simple and inexpensive, but remarkably, handwashing with soap can dramatically cut the number of young children who get sick. Handwashing with soap could protect about 1 out of every 3 young children who get sick with diarrhea3 and almost 1 out of 6 young children with respiratory infections like pneumonia4. Although people around the world clean their hands with water, very few use soap to wash their hands. Washing hands with soap removes germs much more effectively5.

Celebrate Global Handwashing Day

Logo: Global Handwashing Day October 15People and communities around the world will celebrate Global Handwashing day in many ways, including:

You can celebrate Global Handwashing Day in these ways:

For more information on handwashing, please visit CDC's Handwashing website. You can also call 1-800-CDC-INFO, or email cdcinfo@cdc.gov for answers to specific questions.

 

More Information

Global Handwashing Day

CDC's Handwashing Work

Handwashing Partnerships and Campaigns

References

  1. globalhandwashingday.org
  2. Liu L, Johnson HL, Cousens S, Perin J, Scott S, Lawn JE, Rudan I, Campbell H, Cibulskis R, Li M, Mathers C, Black RE; Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group of WHO and UNICEF. Global, regional, and national causes of child mortality: an updated systematic analysis for 2010 with time trends since 2000. Lancet. 2012 Jun 9;379(9832):2151-61.
  3. Ejemot RI, Ehiri JE, Meremikwu MM, Critchley JA. Hand washing for preventing diarrhoea. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 Jan 23;(1):CD004265.
  4. Rabie T and Curtis V. Handwashing and risk of respiratory infections: a quantitative systematic review. Trop Med Int Health. 2006 Mar;11(3):258-67.
  5. Burton M, Cobb E, Donachie P, Judah G, Curtis V, Schmidt WP. The effect of handwashing with water or soap on bacterial contamination of hands. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2011 Jan;8(1):97-104.
 

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  • Page last reviewed: October 9, 2012
  • Page last updated: October 9, 2012
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