Global Handwashing Day: Govt, Breakthrough Action collaborate to promote handwashing
In commemoration of the 2022 Global Handwashing Day, Ministry of Environment in collaboration with USAID and Breakthrough Action Nigeria have organised handwashing activities, to advocate for the awareness on its importance.
Delivering the Key note address today during the event held at the Federal Government Boys College, Apo in Abuja, with the theme: “Unite for Universal Hand Hygiene”, the Honourable Minister of Environment, Mohammed H. Abdullahi disclosed that it was a known fact that a large number of children die every year due to sanitation and hygiene enabled diseases.
Abdullahi stated that globally, basic hand hygiene was often neglected, due to lack of access to handwashing facilities in key places as 40% of world’s population or 3 billion people do not have handwashing facilities with water and soap at home.
He revealed that in Nigeria, more than 3.5 million children suffer from diarrheal diseases and this was not a small figure noting that a simple act of washing hands with soap can reduce infection by 50% and this also reduces any respiratory disease by 25%.
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The Minister pointed out that hand washing saves lives, however many people tend to wash their hands with only water, which has proven ineffective in removing germs saying that for many Nigerians, cleaning hands with soap and water was not really considered necessary, as soaps were mostly reserved for laundry and bathing.
The Environment Minister while addressing sanitation and hygiene challenges in the country stressed that it was a necessary and worthwhile investment for government at all levels as a way to significantly improve the health, education, social and economic status of a country.
Also the Principal of the school who was represented by the Vice Principal, Academics Senior School, Mary Millicent Nnawuogo said that, “the hands must be washed as much as practically possible but must be washed at these critical moments such as after using the toilet, after coughing or sneezing; after cleaning a child who has gone to the toilet; after touching books and money; before preparing food; before and after eating; and after playing with animals. It is very important that the hands are washed properly by using running water with soap.”
Meanwhile, Representative of Breakthrough Action Nigeria, said that the organisation was the flagship of the USAID social and health communication channel to ensuring a healthy nation.
