The Upper East Regional office of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) has observed the Global Handwashing Day in Tongo in the Talensi district with a call on the public to constantly practice handwashing with soap to curb the spread of diseases.
John Godson Aduakye, the Upper East Regional Director of CWSA said the hands are the pathway for germs and one of the measures to reduce the spread of germs and diseases such as cholera is by practicing proper handwashing regularly and with soap.
“A lot of the diseases that affect children and adults are because of germs on our hands. So if we properly wash our hands regularly, it will reduce OPD cases we record at the hospitals. Little did we know that in 2019 we were going to be hit with COVID-19 which handwashing is very critical to prevent its spread.”
He urged parents to inculcate proper handwashing habit in children so that they can adapt it as they grow to become adults.
The choice of the Talensi District and for that matter the Salvation Army Primary School for the regional commemoration of the Global Handwashing Day according to the director was necessary due to the favorable response of the school and the district has in responded to the call for proper handwashing with soap under running water.
Global Handwashing Day is celebrated worldwide on 15th October each year to promote and motivate people to improve their handwashing habits with soap to reduce the spread of diseases. The theme for this year’s celebration is ‘Our future is at hand-Let’s move forward together’.
Extension Services Specialist at the CWSA, Grace Dassah said her outfit has always advocated for the importance of proper handwashing in the prevention of diseases but the advent of the COVID-19 has served as an eye-opener for the need to practice proper handwashing with soap.
“We were going to communities to advocate for handwashing with soap even for those who don’t have soap, we have told them to use ash in replace of soap to wash their hands. But when Coronavirus came, it came with some kind of fear in people so anything that they tell you to do to prevent yourself from getting Coronavirus, they will do. So Coronavirus has made a lot of people who were not committed to handwashing, now committed to it.”
The Public Relations Officer of Talensi District Education Directorate, Maurice Korah entreated pupils to constantly practice proper handwashing with soap to control the spread of germs.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Joshua Asaah|Ghana
