RP second largest contributor to diarrhea-related deaths

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is second to China as the biggest contributor to the number of diarrhea-related deaths in the world, according to United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) health specialist Dr. Marisa Ricardo.

In a World Health Organization (WHO) census in 2000, the Philippines posted some 73,265 deaths from diarrhea among children below five years old, following China’s 593,372.

The Philippine figure is almost double that of other Asian countries such as Vietnam, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Laos and Korea.

The Unicef embarked yesterday on a worldwide campaign to promote the “life-saving habit” of handwashing with soap to prevent illnesses like diarrhea, considered the second leading killer of children below five years old.

Unicef country representative Vanessa Tobin said while people wash their hands with water, “far fewer wash their hands with soap at critical moments – for example, after using the toilet, after cleaning a child and before handling food.”

“They don’t realize that hand-washing is actually a life-saving habit that can prevent the deaths of millions of children,” Tobin said during the launch of the 1st Global Handwashing Day at the Museo Pambata in Manila.

Dr. Yolanda Oliveros, director of the Department of Health (DOH) National Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said handwashing with soap is the most cost-effective way of preventing not only diarrhea but also pneumonia, intestinal worms and “even emerging diseases like SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and avian influenza.”

She said that among Filipino adults, 90 percent wash their hands before eating but less than 50 percent of children below 12 years old don’t observe this habit. Oliveros said this is more dangerous because children tend to touch and put things in their mouth, increasing exposure to diseases.

A joint survey conducted by the Unicef, WHO and DOH last year showed that diarrhea is the fourth leading cause of death among Filipino children below five years old and the third leading cause of childhood illnesses.

Tobin said the rates of handwashing with soap at “critical moments” range from zero to 34 percent globally.

“Unicef calls on parents, teachers, celebrities, government, non-government (groups) and the general public to urge children around the world to begin a lifetime habit of handwashing with soap,” she said.