More than 50 million people in India do not have access to effective handwashing, putting them at a greater risk of acquiring and transmitting the novel coronavirus, according to a study.
Researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington in the US found that without access to soap and clean water, over 2 billion people in low- and middle-income nations -- a quarter of the world's population -- have a greater likelihood of transmitting the coronavirus than those in wealthy countries.
According to the study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, more than 50 per cent of the people in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania lacked access to effective handwashing.
"Handwashing is one of the key measures to prevent COVID transmission, yet it is distressing that access is unavailable in many countries that also have limited health care capacity," said Michael Brauer, a professor at IHME.
The study found that in 46 countries, more than half of people lacked access to soap and clean water.
In India, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Indonesia, more than 50 million persons in each country were estimated to be without handwashing access, according to the study.
"Temporary fixes, such as hand sanitizer or water trucks, are just that -- temporary fixes," Brauer said.
"But implementing long-term solutions is needed to protect against COVID and the more than 700,000 deaths each year due to poor handwashing access," Brauer said.
He noted that even with 25 per cent of the world's population lacking access to effective handwashing facilities, there have been "substantial improvements in many countries" between 1990 and 2019.
Those countries include Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Nepal, and Tanzania, which have improved their nations' sanitation, the researchers said.
The study does not estimate access to handwashing facilities in non-household settings such as schools, workplaces, health care facilities, and other public locations such as markets.
Earlier this month, the World Health Organization predicted 190,000 people in Africa could die of COVID-19 in the first year of the pandemic, and that upward of 44 million of the continent's 1.3 billion people could be infected with the coronavirus, the researchers said.
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Rightly said.
Partriotism is not by force, not by singing any song, or not by showing anything.
It is the love for the people of the nation.
If this is missing, he or she is not nationalist.
Singing the vande mataram, it is a debatable subject. If one has no objection of its contents, no problem to sing.
But still it is up to him to sing or not to sing. Not by force.
If anybody of the opinion to sing it, then will they read holy books all other religions and will they follow it.
No, not possible to do it. Therefore dont force to sing.
The truth is, ISLAM is purely based believing in 1 and only Go.
That is ONE-NESS OF GOD. Anything contradicts the 1ness is unforgivable sin.
There is no other sin above it. This is the strong principle of ISLAM. Muslims are ready for any sacrifices to follow it.
Unfortunately Most of the people even Many Muslims dont know it.
It is better to know the principle of every religion. It does not mean to follow it.
But knowing the fact can help to clear many doubts.
May God help.
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