Diarrhoea kills some 194,000 children under five every year in Nigeria, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has said.
This was contained in a message issued by UNICEF to mark this year's Global Hand washing Day saying "hand washing is not complicated, but crucial."
UNICEF also emphasizes that the simple act of hand washing with soap can save hundreds of thousands of children who needlessly die every year.
Diarrhea (or diarrhoea) (from the Greek dia "through" + rheo "flow" meaning "flowing through") is the condition of having three or more loose or liquid bowel movements per day. It is a common cause of death in developing countries and the second most common cause of infant deaths worldwide. The loss of fluids through diarrhea can cause dehydration and electrolyte disturbances such as potassium deficiency or other salt imbalances.
According to the message, "As diarrhoea diseases are basically faecal-oral in nature, one of the simplest and most inexpensive barriers to infection is hand washing with soap or ash at critical times, such as before handling food and after defecation or changing a diaper. Hygiene promotion and proper hand washing is also the most cost effective public health intervention against diarrhoea diseases." Ibrahima Fall, Representative of UNICEF in Nigeria said, "Hand washing with soap has become all the more necessary in view of the ongoing floods in a number of states contaminating water supplies."
culled from http://news.naij.com/11768.html
No comments:
Post a Comment