WELL Factsheet: Health impact of handwashing with soap

Hygiene promotion, together with improved water supply and sanitation, is a key component of intervention programmes which aim to reduce the burden of diarrhoeal diseases in developing countries. However, the impact of hygiene promotion, and the washing of hands with soap in particular, has wider health implications. This fact sheet gathers the available evidence of the health impact of the promotion of handwashing with soap in developing countries and highlights the gaps in our knowledge.

Produced by WEDC and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine for the Department of International Development (DFID) of the UK government (now the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)), this archive collection of WELL factsheets remains relevant. It covers topics ranging from the anaerobic treatment of municipal wastewater through to water quality and safety plans.