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Sightsavers has called on the Federal Government and all stakeholders in the Nigerian health sector, particularly professional bodies, to rise to the challenge and meet the demand for hygiene services in the country.
A statement made available to Nigerian Tribune by the Sightsavers spokesperson, Joy Tarbo, to mark 2023 Global Handwashing Day, stated that clean hands and faces play a crucial role in preventing trachoma, a contagious eye infection that can lead to blindness if left untreated.
“Trachoma is primarily spread through contact with contaminated hands and faces, as well as by flies that transfer the bacteria responsible for the disease. Regularly washing hands and faces with clean water and soap helps remove the bacteria and reduce the risk of transmission.
“By maintaining good hygiene practices, individuals can significantly contribute to the prevention of trachoma and protect their vision, especially in regions where the disease is endemic.”
“Sightsavers is thrilled to join the global community in marking the 2023 Global Handwashing Day. This annual event underscores the critical importance of hand hygiene in preventing the spread of diseases and improving overall public health.”]
Meanwhile, Dr Sunday Isiyaku, country director of Sightsavers said, promoting good hand hygiene is an essential component of our mission to eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD).
“Sightsavers will continue to support the collaboration of the Federal Ministry of Health and WASH partners through its Face cleanliness and Environmental sustainability approach of the “SAFE” strategy to support behaviour change across states. On this Global Handwashing Day, we emphasize the importance of clean hands in reducing the transmission of diseases.”
“Without clean water and soap, it is difficult to implement simple and effective public health actions that can prevent and manage debilitating Neglected Tropical Diseases: hand and face-washing for trachoma, a disease which leads to painful, irreversible blindness; limb-washing for lymphatic filariasis, in which worms invade the lymph system and cause severe oedema, especially of the legs; wound-washing for rabies, where cleaning the lesion thoroughly after a dog-bite can decrease the chances of infection by the virus from canine saliva; and hand-washing for intestinal worms, whose eggs are ingested with unclean food.”
