Bolivia: drop in diarrhoea thanks to swine flu handwashing campaign

Updated - Tuesday 17 November 2009

Nayeli Quispe, a seven-year old from the impoverished hillsides of La Paz, Bolivia has been washing his hands a lot more than usual. His behaviour is inspired by a massive campaign by the country’s public-health officials to contain the spread of the new flu virus . “First you wet them really well, then you rub the soap all around and then you dry them with a clean towel,” says Nayeli.

Public-health experts now say the increase in hand-washing across the country may have had some collateral benefits, not only in helping to reduce H1N1 infections, but also the spread of other common diseases in Bolivia. “We see a steady 10% to 15% drop in the rate of incidence of acute diarrheal diseases in all age groups, compared with last year’s numbers at this time,” says Dr. René Lenis, Bolivia’s director of epidemiology.

Often the problem is not just about good or bad habits but about access to clean water or the ability to afford soap. In Bolivia, 25% of the country still doesn’t have access to water in the home. Health officials recognize that every citizen must have a sink to wash their hands in before they can expect significant reduction in disease. But when more than half the population is already living with some sort of bacterial or parasitic stomach infection, it’s crucial to encourage those who can wash their hands to do so.

Experts are wary of the short-term data on Bolivia’s descending rates of diarrhoeal disease; it remains to be seen whether the trend will hold up. The last time Bolivia witnessed a plummet in diarrhoeal-disease rates was during the cholera outbreak of 1992 and 1993,

Related news:

Global Handwashing Day 2009: focus on schoolchildren and swine flu, Source Weeky, 16 Oct 2009
Hygiene promotion: the role of media exposure, poverty and infrastructure on handwashing in Kenya, Source Weekly, 20 Oct 2009

Related document:

PAHO (2009). Hand washing and personal protective equipment ; information for health care managers. (Influenza (H1N1) Pandemic 2009. Technical document ; 4). Download document (PDF file)

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