Global toilet sanitation problem leads to 443
million missed school days
According to a study conducted by the World
Health Organization (WHO), children around the world miss an estimated 443
million school days each year because of diseases caused by poor sanitation and
hygiene practices, including using unsanitary toilets. Simply put, this number
of sick days is equivalent to all grade school and high school classrooms in
the Philippines being empty for one month. This sanitation-related concern
hinders the children’s learning and significantly reduces their quality of
life.
Illnesses due to poor toilet sanitation
include diarrhoeal disease and parasitic worm infections which can lead to
nutritional deficiencies, physical and mental stunting, and death. Every day, millions
of children in rural communities and urban households nationwide are exposed to
these health problems by using dirty toilets populated by disease-carrying
germs.
According to Dr. Luisa Efren of the
Philippine Public Health Association (PPHA), the simple act of proper toilet
sanitation can help prevent the spread of these germs. However, children
continue to be at risk from these deadly diseases because many households still
use ordinary laundry bleach to clean their toilet bowls, which is not enough to
kill all toilet germs.
“A toilet that looks clean to the naked eye
may not necessarily be free from germs and bacteria. So, it is very important
to properly sanitize all surfaces using a germ-kill expert with proven efficacy
in eliminating bacteria, and not just any ordinary laundry bleach,” Dr. Efren
warned.
For the past three years, Unilever
Philippines through its germ-kill expert brand Domex, has been working with
UNICEF and PPHA to champion the One Million Clean Toilets Movement. This
advocacy program aims to educate Filipinos on proper toilet hygiene and the
need for sanitized household toilets to keep their families safe against
disease-causing germs.
On November 13, World Toilet Day, join the One
Million Clean Toilets Movement in the fight against disease causing germs to
save lives, one clean toilet at a time. To learn more about Domex and how you
can stay safe from disease with a germ-free home, visit Domex Philippines on
Facebook.
You can also help the 1 Million Clean Toilets
Movement fight against disease by spreading awareness on the sanitation issue
caused unsanitary toilets. Watch and share the “Sick Days” video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypMNHyUwQOQ)
to help keep your family and friends germ-free.
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