News by Dauda Iliya
Borno State Government and the World Health Organisation WHO have engaged the services of Community Health Champions to take the campaign on hand hygiene to internally displaced persons camps.
At an event to commemorate World Hand Washing Day at Teachers Village Camp in Maiduguri, WHO Health Operations Manager for Emergency Response Team in the Northeast Dr Isaac Boateng said the champions have been deployed to all camps and host communities in the state.
According to him, the intervention of Community Health Champions have helped prevent the outbreak of Cholera in Internally Displaced Persons camps in the year 2020.
Dr Isaac Boateng noted that hand hygiene prevents about ninety percent of all infectious diseases.
He encouraged the displaced persons to always wash their hands with soap under running water before and after any activity in order to have a healthy society.
“When you wash your hands, most of the diseases that are spread through infection like cholera, Ebola, Covid-19, measles, acute diarrhoea diseases are washed away, so if mothers and family members have to sanitise their hands, it will reduce all diseases from spreading and once the transmission is curtailed, there will be no outbreak of epidemic”.
World Health Organisation State Coordinator Dr Isiaka Ayodeji said the day was set aside to mobilise health workers, government agencies and the public to support improved hand hygiene.
He observed that health workers are the most vulnerable due to frequent contact with patients, urging them to maintain high level of hygiene before and after coming in contact with body fluid.
Overseeing Commissioner for Health, Professor Isa Marte represented by Director Public Health, Dr Lawi Mshelia charged traditional rulers to intensify awareness campaign so that people at community level imbibe the culture of hand hygiene.