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The soap manufacturing company Unilever supported a project in rural India that could serve as a model for nationwide sanitation education in China. Since it began in 2002, India's Swasthya Chetna, or "health awakening" campaign, has reached over 70 million Indians. The most widespread health project ever undertaken in India, Swasthya Chetna first engages children, who are most likely to be affected by diarrheal disease and also the most willing to change their behaviors. Through student performances, health clubs, and other community projects, Swasthya Chetna has left a lasting impact on the health of India's poor. The program's tremendous scale proves that ambitious, nationwide initiatives can affect change in the heavily-populated nations of Asia.

In China today, 700 million people suffer from water scarcity, and 550 million lack healthcare. Although poor sanitation in rural China is primarily a practical problem driven by the lack of water, soap, and sinks, some behaviors need to change as well. Until structural problems can be adequately addressed, hand-washing promotion may be the most effective way to prevent the spread of avian flu, SARS, diarrheal disease, and respiratory infections. A serious approach to hygiene education, coupled with creative ways to address water scarcity, will encourage stable development and benefit the world economy. Whether supplying soap and alcohol-based sanitizers in rural areas, fixing water prices for different consumers, or investing in technologies to recycle wastewater, the Chinese government must take action before pandemic illness arrives.