One third Indians give hand washing low priority: study

KOLKATA, India- Almost one third of Indians believe that washing hand is not a priority, according to a study by Global Hygiene Council (GHC), an independent body bringing together global experts of microbiology, virology and immunology Monday.

“Today is global hand washing day but in our country the situation is pathetic,” Dr. Soumitra Datta, a child specialist said Saturday.

Global Hygiene Council (GHC) works to revisit current hygiene practices and offers recommendations to the public on the importance of hygiene. This year GHC’S focus is to prevent cross contamination in food through improving hand hygiene, surface hygiene and food Hygiene.

Dettol, a Reckitt Benckiser brand supports the work of Hygiene Council by giving it an annual educational grant and spreading the message of the Hygiene Council across the globe. The study covered a population of 18,000 across 18 countries. Around 1000 Indians were surveyed.

Globally, a little under 40 percent of children do not wash hands before lunch and after using the restrooms and only 44 percent are made to wash their hands after playing outside, the report pointed.

The survey revealed that 95 percent of the kitchen taps in India failed the hygiene test, making it second dirtiest item in Indian household, after kitchen cloths. 85 percent of the taps were found contaminated with E. coli.

Also 30 percent of Indian mothers confessed that they do not clean and disinfect their child’s lunch box each day.

Source: Xinhuanet

Category: Education