Around 10,000 Filipino children die of diarrhea every year, according to local media on Saturday.
Over the past seven years, some 70,000 children were killed by diarrhea, the fourth-leading cause of death among Filipino children younger than five years old, the Manila Times reported, citing data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Philippines' Department of Health.
With incidence nearly double those of other Southeast Asian and East Asian countries, the Health department said that the Philippines is now one of the most seriously-affected among 13 countries included in the study in terms of the number of reported diarrhea cases.
The study said that some 1.5 million children younger than the age of five suffer from diarrhea because of lack of access to clean water and basic sanitation facilities and poor hygienic practices. It was released to encourage good hygiene practices as WHO observes the First Global Handwashing Day next month.
Health surveys recently found that 90 percent wash their hands before eating, but less than 50 percent of children below 12 year sold do it.
Handwashing is important, said health officials, citing recent studies indicating that those who frequently wash their hands are less likely to contract any disease.
Source:Xinhua
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