BELFAST, Northern Ireland — The new coronavirus has created an uptick in better hygiene habits — particularly around the frequency and duration of hand-washing — yet water, sanitation, and hygiene experts question whether such practices will last beyond the pandemic.
Washing hands is one way to reduce the risk of contracting not only COVID-19, but also a multitude of other illnesses, including diarrheal diseases, respiratory infections, and cholera, as well as neglected tropical diseases such as trachoma, schistosomiasis, and leprosy.
“You would argue that this boost of efforts that’s being placed specifically on better hygiene promotion will have an implicit effect on other continuously occurring outbreaks like cholera,” said Marielle Snel, senior global humanitarian WASH specialist at Save the Children. “You would logically think this is something that would be further picked up.”