People urged to wash hands with soap

The washing of hands with soap was the theme of the first Global Handwashing Day (GHD) which was marked yesterday.

It aimed to inform parents of young children of the importance of washing hands.

"Some diseases including diarrhea and pneumonia are caused if hands are not washed properly with soap. The day focuses on children because they are more vulnerable to these diseases," Dale Rutstein, the GHD's main initiator and UNICEF China's communication chief, said in Beijing.