It’s Global Hand-washing Day today and IOL with Lifebuoy are giving away 6 Lifebuoy hampers valued at R500 each to our readers.
Hand-washing is a significant part of health measures to control the Covid-19 pandemic and other illnesses.
Global Hand-washing Day is a day dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding about the importance of hand-washing as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives.
Hand-washing has long been touted as an effective weapon in the arsenal against death and disease.
Illnesses such as intestinal infectious disease (including diarrhoea) and respiratory illnesses (including flu and pneumonia), which are among the leading causes of death for children under 5 years old in South Africa, are illnesses that can be prevented through improved hygiene practices. This includes hand-washing.
Evidence published by the Department of Health shows that hand-washing can reduce the incidence of diarrhoea by as much as 50% and respiratory infections by almost 25%.
According to the World Health Organisation and WaterAid, hands are the principal carriers of disease-causing germs. In addition, they list the following facts about hand-washing:
- Hands are the principal carriers of disease-causing germs.
- Only one in five (19%) people globally wash their hands with soap after going to the bathroom.
- One in three primary schools worldwide do not have hand-washing facilities.
- About 443 million school days are lost every year because of water-related illnesses.
- Hand-washing with soap reduces the risk of diarrhoeal diseases by 42% – 47%.
- Lack of access to sanitation and poor hygiene contribute to approximately 88% of childhood deaths caused by diarrhoeal diseases.
Many infections begin when we touch our mouth, nose or eyes. Which is why scientists advise against touching those areas, to prevent illness. But with little ones, that may be a hard rule to follow. Experts say washing of hands regularly is a more effective way.
“It’s crucial for hand-washing habits to be instilled from a young age, so having this education as part of the school curriculum is vital,” Nitin Besesar, senior brand manager, personal care at Unilever, said.
Over 4 million Grade 1 learners in 15 000 schools have now received hand-washing behaviour change education since 2018 through the National Schools Hygiene and Sanitation Programme – an initiative undertaken in partnership with Unilever and the Department of Basic Education (DBE).
“We are pleased that the DBE has chosen to include Lifebuoy’s hand-washing education materials in the 2022 Life Orientation learner workbooks for Grades 4 – 6.
“We have also been working with the DBE, Unicef, the African Publishers Association and the Publishers Association of SA to change the way the letter H is taught in schools, to make H for hand-washing and to make hand-washing a more fundamental aspect of education from an early age,” Besesar said.
WIN! WIN! WIN!
Win one of six Lifebuoy hampers valued at R500 each.
Each hamper contains:
- Lifebuoy Total 10 Body Wash 400ml x 2.
- Lifebuoy Instant Hand Sanitiser Spray 120ml x 3.
- Lifebuoy Total 10 Hand Wash 200ml x 2.
- Lifebuoy Total 10 Soap Bar 175g x 2.
- Lifebuoy Even Tone Activated Charcoal and Mint Soap Bar 175g x 2.
- Lifebuoy Hand Sanitiser Total 10 Bottle 100ml x 3.
- Lifebuoy Hygiene Wet Wipes x 3.
Competition ends on Tuesday, October 19, at midnight and winners will be announced on IOL Lifestyle social media pages on Wednesday, October 20, 2021.
This competition is open to anyone residing in South Africa.
Enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway