Bacteria from the poopoo can make you really sick.

Definitely accept your anecdote but we know in the aggregate, handwashing works.

Handwashing education in the community:

• Reduces the number of people who get sick with diarrhea by 23-40%
• Reduces diarrheal illness in people with weakened immune systems by 58%
• Reduces respiratory illnesses, like colds, in the general population by 16-21%
• Reduces absenteeism due to gastrointestinal illness in schoolchildren by 29-57%

More good info from the CDC!