Did you know that research shows that one out of every five people do not wash their hands after using the toilet. Then, 40% of people wash their hands for less than 10 seconds…and yet, you need at least 20 seconds to get your hands all squeaky clean! Finally, men are twice as likely not to wash their hands with soap or hand wash! Oh dear, just think about all the people we shake hands with, trusting and hoping that their hands are clean!

Diseases like respiratory infections and diarrhea cause up to 20 percent of the burden of disease in children. It has been found that in places where hand washing was instituted, this burden of disease has been cut by about 50%. This is a huge number…from hand washing alone! In hospitals, it was also found that the spread of hospital-acquired infections was encouraged by lack of hand washing…