The Society for Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN), has called for sustenance of hand washing culture at all times to prevent the spread of disease and promote hygiene in the country.
The national Coordinator Of NEWSAN, Mr Benson Attah made the call in Abuja , in an interview with the Tide source on the occasion of the 2022 World Hand Hygiene Day.
Attah said that such culture must be imbibed, as recent happenings globally had shown the critical role that hand washing played in disease prevention.
NAN reports that World Hand Hygiene Day is a global initiative annually celebrated on May 5, and the theme of this year’s theme is “A Health Care Quality and Safety Climate or Culture”.
According to him, all stakeholders must encourage Nigerians to imbibe a hand washing culture as the first line of barrier toward infection prevention and control.
“The importance of hand hygiene has been revealed in the last two years with the advent of COVID-19 when it comes to prevention of disease among citizens within the family.
“Most diseases that majority of Nigerians face can be linked to poor hygiene, with this awareness, it is crucial that we drive it to larger audiences in both urban and rural areas.
“If we take particular attention to hand hygiene, the majority of these diseases will stop affecting people and they will be free from an unnecessary outbreak of diseases.
“Most of these diseases occur from things we put in our mouth, and we usually touch different places, do different things without being conscious,” he said.
Attah also urged parents of little children to always wash their hands, and the children’s too as this would break disease transmission.
He expressed worry over the actions of many Nigerians, especially in offices for abandoning the COVID-19 disease prevention protocols, saying this was not meant to be.
Attah, however, called on all stakeholders to ensure that hand washing facilities were made available and used in all public places.
“Hand washing should be part of our daily lives, in schools, markets, all public places, it should not be a one-off thing, but as part of our lifestyle”, he said.
According to WHO, the 2022 theme focused on recognising that everyone can add to a culture of safety, and quality by cleaning their hands.
This will in turn encourage people to clean their hands at the right times and with the right products.