Diarrhea has killed more than 194, 000 children under five annually in Nigeria, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
This figure was the second highest in the world, after India, the world body said in a statement.
The simple act of washing hands with soap or ash and water particularly after using the toilet and before handling food can reduce the incidence of diarrhea among children under five by almost half, UNICEF said.
The statement quoted Suomi Sakai, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, as saying that hand washing was simple, powerful and could be done by everybody.
Sakai urged Nigerians to do it daily, not just on Global Hand Washing Day.
Diarrhea is the condition of having three or more loose or liquid bowel movements per day. It is a common cause of death in developing countries and the second most common cause of infant deaths worldwide.