Supertowel as an alternative hand cleaning product for emergencies

Sian White,Jessica F. Petz,Kifle Delsta,Torben Holm Larsen
06
May
2019
Output type
Journal article
Location
Ethiopia
Focus areas
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)
Topics
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Handwash event in a kindergarten in Tamil Nadu, India, where kids were taught how to use Supertowel

Supertowel is easy to distribute as the product is light weight, low volume and durable. With Supertowel, you may wash your hands anywhere, any time and with minimal water and no soap consumption. This study aims to assess whether the Supertowel could be an acceptable and feasible product for crisis-affected populations.



Diarrhoeal diseases are a major contributor to morbidity and mortality in humanitarian crises. Handwashing with soap may reduce diarrhoea by up to 47%, however, the circumstances associated with displacement make it challenging for crisis-affected populations to be able to wash their hands with soap.


Supertowel is an alternative hand-cleaning product, proven to be as efficacious as handwashing with soap. Real Relief has recieved two grants from the HIF for this project. The Supertowel is a micro-fibre towel with an anti-microbial treatment. When dipped in water it is capable of removing and killing pathogens from hands.

Read this article and find out about the methods, results and conclusions about using Supertowel as an alternative to handwashing.

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Photo Credit: Real Relief, children in Tamil Nadu, India, using the Supertowel

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