Globally, three million children under the age of five will die next year from infectious diseases. This is reported in the report of the World Hygiene Council (The Global Hygiene Council). In it, as the edition EurekAlert! on Thursday, November 3, mortality reduction measures are also proposed.
Experts concluded that a million children die from pneumonia every year, and 700,000 die from diarrhea. At the same time, more than half of the families in the world do not comply with hygiene rules, according to which it is not recommended to disinfect the house during the cold and flu seasons. In addition, private homes are the source of intestinal infections in 31 percent of cases.
According to experts, it is the lack of hygiene that is the main cause of high infant mortality from infections. At the same time, hand washing with soap and water reduces diarrhea deaths by 50 percent. The authors of the report, which was published on October 28, argue that keeping your home clean will significantly reduce the incidence of diarrhea, gastroenteritis, colds and flu. Experts also suggest that children should be given antibiotics as little as possible because of the danger of resistant (able to survive when exposed to antibiotics) microbes.
The World Council on Hygiene was founded in 1972 to disseminate health information as well as promote programs to improve health systems. It includes several hundred public organizations from around the world.