Ghanaians urged to embrace sanitation and hygiene

Mr Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, on Wednesday urged Ghanaians to embrace good sanitation and hygiene, to promote health.

He said promoting health is one of the important steps towards development and a better quality life.

Mr Vanderpuye made the call at the global hand washing day celebration in Accra on the theme: “Clean hands saves lives.”

He said the occasion was expected to bring to the fore the unhygienic practices that underpins the importance of hand washing with soap and to encourage people to practice hand washing with soap.

He said hands are principal careers of diseases, causing pathogens from person to person, either through direct contact or indirectly through surfaces.

“Hand washing with soap removes germs from hands, which helps to prevent transmission of respiratory infections and diarrhoeal diseases including cholera and Ebola,” he said.

Mr Vanderpuye said cumulatively, 20,279 cases including 164 deaths have been recorded from nine out of 10 regions, and so far 101 districts have been affected with the case fatality rate of 0.8 per cent, which is one of the lowest rate over a decade.

He noted that the Greater Accra Region, has recorded more than 16, 550 cases of cholera with 111 deaths. Ga South, La Dadekotopon, and the Accra Metro, are the highest hit in the country.

He said the global hand washing day is a laudable initiative which would help promote hand washing in communities as well as promote and give visibility to hand washing with soap in houses, clinics, markets, lorry stations and schools.

The sector Minister called on traders, fish mongers, food vendors, fishermen, drivers, children and stakeholders to wash their hands with soap after visiting the toilet, shaking hands during festivals funerals and other outdoor ceremonies.

Mr Clement Bugase, Chief Executive Director of Community Water and Sanitation Agency, said the global hand washing day is an advocacy event dedicated to increase awareness and understanding about the importance of hand washing with soap as an effective and affordable way to reduce diarrhoeal diseases and respiratory infections.

He said the aim of this year’s celebration is to shift the increased awareness towards sustainable behaviourial change with focus on practice and not just awareness.

He said it is also to inspire commitment of hand washing with soap, create awareness of the practice, foster and support the global and local culture of hand washing with soap.

It is also to reinforce existing behaviour change campaigns and support the campaign for the prevention of spread of cholera and Ebola.

Mr Bugase noted that hand washing with soap is a key action to public health because it is a mainstay in infection control.

He urged stakeholders to endeavour to play their parts to make the campaign more successful, adding that it is expected that the promotion and practice would continue after the celebration since sustaining it is very important.