Landmark study confirms the importance of home & personal hygiene in reducing infectious diseases

Abstract

A new study has shown significant reductions in many common infectious diseases in children under five when their families participated in intensive hygiene education plus the use of hygiene products. The results come from the landmark Hygiene Promotion and Illness Reduction Study, carried out in 2006 and 2007 in the densely populated Dunoon and Phillipi townships in the Western Cape. The study aimed to measure how effective a hygiene education programme and the use of Dettol antibacterial soap, antiseptic and surface cleanser would be at reducing the burden of disease, specifically respiratory, gastrointestinal, and skin infections.