Effect of handwashing on child health: a randomised controlled trial

Luby, Stephen P.; Agboatwalla, Mubina; Feikin, Daniel R.; Painter, John; Billhimer, Ward; Altaf, Arshad; Hoekstra, Robert M.

doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(05)66912-7

Cited by 653 publications

(538 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…However, beyond access to infrastructure, it is well known that lack of latrine maintenance results in a focus for the transmission of diseases, apart from hindering a continued use (Scott et al, 2003). Personal hygiene (principally hand-washing), on the other hand, is the only protective barrier which can effectively block all faecal-oral routes of disease transmission (sanitation hardware only prevents faeces contaminating the environment; transmission via fingers is also common), and research has demonstrated that increased hand-washing significantly diminishes the incidence of diarrhoea (Curtis and Cairncross, 2003;Luby et al, 2005). For planning purposes, sanitation monitoring needs to be defined in a broad and more holistic sense (Breslin, 2010) to include, amongst others, hygiene issues.…”

Section: Sanitation and Hygiene Planningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improved monitoring framework for local planning in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector: From data to decision-making

Garriga

Palencia

Foguet

2015

Science of The Total Environment

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Today, a vast proportion of people still lack a simple pit latrine and a source of safe drinking water. To help end this appalling state of affairs, there is a pressing need to provide policymakers with evidences in which base effective planning, targeting and prioritization. Two major challenges often hinder this process: i) lack of reliable data to identify which areas are most in need; and ii) inadequate instruments for decision-making support.In tackling previous shortcomings, this paper proposes a monitoring framework to compile, analyse, interpret and disseminate water, sanitation and hygiene information. In an era of decentralization, where decision-making moves to local governments, we apply such framework at the local level. The ultimate goal is to develop appropriate tools for decentralized planning support. To this end, the study first implements a methodology for primary data collection, which combines the household and the waterpoint as information sources. In doing so, we provide a complete picture of the context in which domestic WASH services are delivered. Second, the collected data are analysed to underline the emerging development challenges. The use of simple planning indicators serves as the basis to i) reveal which areas require policy attention, and to ii) identify the neediest. Third, a classification process is proposed to prioritize among various populations. Three different case studies from East and Southern African countries are presented. Results indicate that accurate and comprehensive data, if adequately exploited through simple instruments, may be the basis of effective targeting and prioritization, which are central to sector planning. The application of the proposed framework in the real world, however, is to a certain extent elusive; and we point out to conclude two specific challenges that remain unaddressed, namely the upgrade of existing decisionmaking processes to enhance transparency and inclusiveness, and the development of data updating mechanisms.

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Section: Sanitation and Hygiene Planningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improved monitoring framework for local planning in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector: From data to decision-making

Garriga

Palencia

Foguet

2015

Science of The Total Environment

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“…36 The promotion of hand washing in households significantly reduces the incidence of both respiratory and gastrointestinal infections in children from both impoverished and wellresourced communities. 8,37 Parental smoking exacerbates respiratory infections in children and predisposes to asthma. 38 Tobacco is a highly addictive substance and is a major health problem requiring concerted efforts to assist addicts to wean themselves.…”

Section: Other Practical Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Management of upper respiratory tract infections in children

Cotton

Innes

Jaspan

et al. 2008

South African Family Practice

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Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) occurs commonly in both children and adults and is a major cause of mild morbidity. It has a high cost to society, being responsible for absenteeism from school and work and unnecessary medical care, and is occasionally associated with serious sequelae. URTIs are usually caused by several families of virus; these are the rhinovirus, coronavirus, parainfluenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus, human metapneumovirus, influenza, enterovirus and the recently discovered bocavirus. This review will mainly focus on the rhinovirus, where significant advances have been made in understanding the epidemiology, natural history and relationship with other pathogens.

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“…The evidence from a systematic review 6 shows that handwashing with soap can reduce the risk of diarrhoeal diseases by 42e47%, and handwashing promotion could save millions of lives. A randomized controlled trial 7 showed that handwashing with soap reduced the incidence of pneumonia in children under five years of age by 50%. In China, several local studies have shown the importance of hand hygiene.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%