WASHINGTON, DC – With the current Ebola outbreak facing countries in West Africa, the key message of Global Handwashing Day — that handwashing with soap can save lives — is more timely than ever. Today, hundreds of millions of people around the world will mobilise to promote the simple fact that hand-washing is a readily accessible, affordable ‘do-it-yourself’ vaccine that helps prevent infections ranging in severity from the common cold to diarrheal diseases and Ebola. Hand-washing with soap is a way for everyone to take health into their own hands.

The theme of this year’s Global Handwashing Day is ‘Choose Hand-washing, Choose Health.’

“When you wash your hands with soap, particularly before handling food, and after using the toilet, you are choosing to look after your own health, your family’s health, and even your community’s health,” says Dr Layla McCay, Director of the Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing Secretariat.

“No matter where you live in the world, hand-washing helps prevent the spread of illnesses. By keeping people well, it also reduces absences from school and work, contributing to a healthier, wealthier society.”

Hand-washing can also make a significant contribution to meeting the Millennium Development Goal 4 of reducing deaths among children under the age of five by two-thirds by 2015. Every year, 1.7 million children do not live to celebrate their fifth birthday because of diarrhea and pneumonia. These diseases cause almost 5,000 childhood deaths every day, according to UNICEF, and the simple habit of hand-washing can significantly reduce the risk of contracting these illnesses, by almost one-half in the case of diarrhea and by nearly one-quarter for acute respiratory infections.

Global Handwashing Day was initiated by The Global Public-Private Partnership for Hand-washing on October 15, 2008, mobilising 120 million children in 73 countries across five continents to wash their hands with soap. Today, it is endorsed and commemorated by governments, international institutions, civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations, private companies, and individuals around the globe. In 2013, Global Handwashing Day celebrations were held in 108 countries, with over 200 million people participating in events.

— Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing