Handwashing Could Cut Childhood Deaths Simple education efforts on the health benefits of handwashing could dramatically reduce deaths from diarrheal illness among children in developing nations, according to a researcher from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. More than 2 million people die each year from diarrheal illnesses, which include several types of bacterial, viral and parasitic infection. The largest number of deaths occur in children younger than 5 years of age, Dr. Stephen Luby reports in the August issue of American Journal of Infection Control. "The good news is that handwashing with soap, a low-cost intervention for which persons are generally willing to pay, reduces the incidence of one of the largest killers of children worldwide," Luby writes. In the U.S., Americans could also use a reminder about the benefits of washing their hands. Last year, the American Society of Microbiology (ASM) in Washington, DC conducted a handwashing survey and found that while 95% of men and women say they wash their hands after using a public restroom, only 67% of people actually do so. (end) © 2001 - Khorsheed.com - Nov 2001