Reasons Why Handwashing Is Important

Avoid Falling Ill

Handwashing is one of the most vital steps individuals can take to avoid falling ill. According to the latest estimates, handwashing prevents around thirty percent of illnesses related to diarrhea. In addition, handwashing stops twenty percent of colds and other respiratory infections. It also helps combat antibiotic resistance. Handwashing with soap is especially important for children. Scientists estimate that handwashing with soap protects one in three children who fall ill with diarrhea, and it is believed to protect one in five children who are ill with pneumonia and other respiratory infections.

Individuals need to wash their hands with soap after using the toilet to avoid falling ill. There are over one trillion germs in a gram of human feces, and the germs can cause norovirus, adenovirus, and hand-foot-mouth disease. Proper handwashing techniques reduce colds and respiratory illnesses by up to twenty-one percent in the general population and decrease diarrhea by as much as forty percent. Proper handwashing cuts the rate of diarrheal illness by up to fifty-eight percent in individuals with weakened immune systems as well. Among schoolchildren, handwashing reduces absences due to gastrointestinal illness by up to fifty-seven percent.