Globally, 43% of schools lack access to basic hand hygiene services
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In 2019, approximately 43% of schools globally did not have access to basic hand washing with soap and water, and 818 million children lacked basic hand-washing facilities at school, according to data from a WHO/UNICEF monitoring program.
More than one-third — or about 295 million children — without access to basic hand-washing at school live in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the report. In the least developed countries, seven out of 10 schools lack hand-washing facilities, whereas half of them lack sanitation and water services — putting them at an increased risk for COVID-19, WHO said.
“Global school closures since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic have presented an unprecedented challenge to children’s education and well-being,” UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore, MS, said in a news release. “We must prioritize children’s learning. This means making sure that schools are safe to reopen — including with access to hand hygiene, clean drinking water and safe sanitation.”
WHO and UNICEF’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) program tracks these three elements in schools around the world and looks to find which areas are in need. The program’s latest report includes a 2030 agenda for sustainable development which “commits all United Nations member states to take bold and transformative steps to shift the world onto a sustainable and resilient path and leave no one behind.”
The 2030 goals include achieving universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water, while doing the same for sanitization and hygiene, with an emphasis on the needs of women and girls.
According to the report, 53 countries have universal access to clean water in schools, with more than half of them located in Europe and North America. Likewise, 22 countries in North America and Europe are joined by 28 countries in having universal access to sanitation. Europe and North America reported 98% coverage for hygiene services.
Preliminary estimates of global trends suggest WASH will not reach its goal of global access to hygiene services by 2030.
The report also emphasized the need for governments to continue to control the spread of COVID-19, and to balance the implementation of public health measures with impacts of lockdown measures.
“Access to water, sanitation and hygiene services is essential for effective infection prevention and control in all settings, including schools,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, MSc, said in the release. “It must be a major focus of government strategies for the safe reopening and operation of schools during the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic.”
The report identified resources necessary for COVID-19 prevention and control in schools. This included 10 immediate actions and safety checklists, which build on UNICEF’s guidelines for reopening schools.
The guidelines include WASH-related protocols on hygiene methods, personal protective equipment, cleaning and disinfecting, as well as access to clean water, hand-washing stations, soap and access to safe toilets.
References:
- WHO/UNICEF Joint monitoring program. https://www.dropbox.com/s/3v0svcyiosh1ria/WASH%20in%20Schools%20-%20EMBARGOED%20VERSION.pdf?dl=0. Accessed August 14, 2020.
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