A web page version of this issue is available at
http://www.immunize.org/genr.d/issue538.htm

Issue Number 538 July 18, 2005

NEW STUDY DEMONSTRATES SIMPLE HANDWASHING WITH SOAP CAN SAVE
CHILDREN'S LIVES

Handwashing with Soap Halved Incidence of Pneumonia--Leading Cause of Death in Children under Five Globally

Handwashing with soap can reduce the number of pneumonia-related infections in children under the age of five by more than 50 percent, according to a study published in the Lancet. The research, conducted in Pakistan by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and P&G Beauty, a division of the
Procter & Gamble Company (P&G), is the first field study to show that handwashing can help prevent pneumonia, the leading killer of children under age 5 worldwide.

The study in the Lancet's July 16 edition, also showed that handwashing with soap significantly reduced the number of diarrheal infections, the second leading cause of death in children under age 5. In addition, there was a 47 percent reduction in the prevalence of impetigo, a skin infection, in children who bathed daily with soap.

"Handwashing with soap is something that is within the reach of hundreds of millions of at-risk families worldwide," said Dr. Stephen Luby, the study's lead investigator and a medical epidemiologist at CDC. "This research can be used by families worldwide to greatly improve the health and save the lives of their children."

Acute respiratory infections account for an estimated 2 million children's deaths a year. Nearly 75 percent of those who die are less than a year old. Approximately 5 to 10 percent of all children living in developing countries under the age of 5 develop pneumonia each year. When combined, diarrhea and acute respiratory tract infections, both prevalent in low-income communities, kill an estimated 4 million children under age 5 each year.

"Many people, even in well-developed countries like the United States, do not realize that they should wash their hands with soap and water for at least 15 seconds, and that water alone is not as effective," said Tim Long, PhD, a principal scientist with P&G Beauty, which provided the soap used in the study. "Parents should encourage children to wash their hands with soap and water as long as it takes them to sing their ABCs. . . ."

To access the complete press release, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r050714a.htm

For additional information visit the CDC website at:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/op/handwashing.htm

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