Global Handwashing Day

At this time in the world , mortality and morbidity rates are still high due to diseases related to water, sanitation and hygienic behavior and healthy habits such as low washing hands with soap at critical moments. Therefore, the United Nations has set year 2008 as International Sanitation year.

Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap (PPP-HWWS) or KPS-CTPS consisting of Unilever (Lifebuoy), WSP, UNICEF, ESP, HSP, Aman Tirta, Reckitt Benckiser, and several other international bodies have set October 15 as Day Handwashing Worldwide (HCTPS) which will be celebrated together by the millions of children in 52 countries, on 5 continents, for supporting and ensuring the International Sanitation year 2008. This is also done to attract attention and raise public awareness about the importance of washing hands with soap.

Efforts to improve the behavior of acceleration washing hands with soap (CTPS) is necessary because the facts show that is still low at CTPS habits important in a society that is 14.3% before eating, after defecation 11.7%, after 8.9 babies menceboki %, prior 7.4% of feeding the child and before preparing food only 6% (Baseline survey data Environmental Services Program (ESP-USAID) in 2006. Hand is one of the transmission path of diseases such as diarrhea, respiratory infection, Kecacingan, Hepatitis A.

"We must admit that until now most of the health condition of Indonesian society is still very alarming. One indicator of low health status in Indonesia is the high number of infant & toddler death caused by diarrhea and respiratory infection. Based on data from Sub Diarrhea, Directorate of Direct Transmitted Disease Control, Ministry of Health of Indonesia (in 2003), diarrhea is still the number two cause of death in Toddlers, number three in infants, and number five in all age groups. "Said dr. Alkadri Wan, M. Sc, Director of Environmental Health, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia.

Nationally, rates increased morbidity due to diarrhea from year 2003 to year 2006, from 347 per 1000 population to 423 per 1000 population. Extraordinary incident in 2006 occurred in the province with 16 cases more than doubled compared to the year 2005, ie 10.980 patients, and 2:52% mortality rate. While kecacingan year prevalence in 2006 elementary school children, in 27 Provinces are 32.6% higher than in 2005, namely 28.4%.

From various research, the risk of disease transmission can be reduced by an increase in the behavior of clean and healthy living, hygiene behavior, such as washing hands with soap at critical times. According to research Fewtrell L, Kaufmann RB, et al, (2005) behavior of washing hands with soap is the best health intervention cheap and effective compared with the results of health interventions with other ways of reducing the risk of contracting various diseases including bird flu, and diarrhea kecacingan primarily on infants and toddlers.

Department of Health through the KPS-CTPS that one partner is Unilever, the Lifebuoy brand, will celebrate the Day Handwashing World First (HCTPS) on October 15, 2008 in four cities, Jakarta (Wisma Aldiron, Jewel), Bandung (Field Gasibu ), Yogyakarta (Town Square), and Malang (Kanjuruan Stadium). This activity will be followed by more than 40.000 primary school students and parents. UNICEF, also a partner in one of the KPS-CTPS, which will organize similar activities in 22 districts, in six provinces.