Is lack of handwashing with soap a problem only in developing countries?
Even in places where handwashing is a comparatively entrenched practice and both soap and water are plentiful, people often fail to wash their hands with soap. A study in England found that people washed their hands only about half the time after cleaning a child after defecation; a recent study of doctors’ handwashing practices in the USA revealed that they failed to wash their hands with soap between patient visits with surprising frequency. Medical personnel who fully understand the health benefits of handwashing with soap often failed to do so because of lack of time, because of rough paper towels for drying, inconveniently located sinks, and hands chapped by frequent washing with drying soaps. However, handwashing with soap remains very important in the industrialized world. A handwashing campaign begun in 2005 in New York City public hospitals has drastically reduced the number of serious infections, such as blood and pneumonia, contracted by hospital patients.
