Say it slowly - ‘diarrhea morbidity‘. That should help that steak ‘n egg breakfast go down nicely…

As a Filipino-American with two toddlers at home, this disturbs me on a number of levels - the World Health Organization announced today that the Philippines ranks second only to China in the number of children under 5 that succumb to fatal diarrhea. The cause? A lack of proper sanitation related to poor access to clean water and facilities….aaaand parents not telling their kids to wash their fucking hands.

Dr. Yolanda Oliveros, director of the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control (NCDPC), said the National Government has also launched its own analysis for the year 2000 on handwashing practice among adults and children.

Among adults, 90 percent have said they wash their hands before eating but less than 50 percent of children below 12 years old adhere to the practice.

She said the study also indicated that only 20 percent of children below five years old, 37 percent among adolescents, 44 percent of adults, and 50 percent of older people wash their hands after they use the toilet.

Yeah, there are some serious problems back in the land of my forebears.