The United Nations International Children Fund (UNICEF), has revealed that over 300,000 children under five died from diarrhoea diseases due to inadequate access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene in 2015. This was made known as the World marks Global Handwashing Day.
According to a statement signed by UNICEF Chief of Communication Doune Porter, the group disclosed that 800 children died per day globally as a result of diarrhoea, adding that the deaths could have been prevented through the simple act of hand washing with soap.
UNICEF’s global head of water, sanitation and hygiene, Sanjay Wijesekera, said every year, 1.4 million children are dying from largely preventable diseases like pneumonia and diarrhoea. He added that the number could be reduced by working with children and families to adopt a very straightforward solution of hand washing.