Raise awareness of disease and epidemic prevention by washing hands with soap

(Baonghean) - Responding to the Movement "Patriotic hygiene to improve people's health", recently, the Provincial Center for Preventive Medicine has organized many propaganda activities on the benefits and importance of hand washing with soap to raise awareness and change people's behavior to protect health and prevent epidemics.

One of the simplest and most effective measures in disease prevention is to wash your hands thoroughly with soap. Scientific research results show that regular hand washing will reduce the possibility of transmitting bacteria that cause diarrhea by up to 35%; significantly reduce acute respiratory infections by 19% - 45% and effectively prevent hand, foot and mouth disease in children.

However, according to the Food Safety Department (Ministry of Health), UNICEF statistics show that in Vietnam, only 12% of people have the habit of washing their hands with soap and clean water before eating, and only 16% wash their hands with soap after going to the toilet. In particular, up to 74% of mothers with children under 5 years old do not wash their hands with soap before feeding or breastfeeding their children.

Preventive health workers communicate about hand washing with soap in Dien Chau. Photo: Nguyet Minh

In order to raise awareness and promote the responsibility of sectors, authorities at all levels, organizations and the whole society about the meaning and importance of hygiene activities for the health of people, families and communities, implementing the direction of the health sector, in recent times, the Provincial Center for Preventive Medicine has deployed many diverse and practical propaganda and mobilization activities. Communication activities have been deployed with many forms of propaganda about the benefits of hand washing with soap, maintaining and gradually forming habits among people; becoming a civilized lifestyle.

In 2012, the Center launched the campaign "Washing hands with soap to prevent hand, foot and mouth disease" in Vinh city for students in the area. In 2015, the Center coordinated with localities to organize communication for people to wash their hands with soap in 20 communes of Hung Nguyen district. And the communication campaign "Journey of 10 million clean hands" was widely deployed for students of 210 primary schools and people across the province in 2016.

Every year, the Provincial Center for Preventive Medicine directs the implementation of "World Handwashing Day with Soap". 21/21 districts, cities and towns deploy to hang communication banners at medical facilities, propagate in villages, hamlets...; guide and direct the District, City and Town Health Centers to organize health education and propaganda on personal hygiene. Through the activities of the campaign, it has contributed to raising people's awareness of the benefits and importance of handwashing with soap; thereby, having awareness in maintaining personal hygiene, washing hands with soap properly, contributing to protecting health and preventing infectious diseases.

In addition, from 2012 to present, the Center has organized 13 communication training courses for health workers, women and teachers in some districts in the area. Health workers and women at the grassroots level directly participate in hand washing with soap and spread messages about improving personal hygiene habits and improving the quality of life for the community.

From 2012 to 2016, with the support of Unilever Fund, the Provincial Center for Preventive Medicine implemented the "Handwashing with soap" project in 4 communes of Dien Cat, Dien Hoa, Dien Thanh, Dien Hong (Dien Chau district) and 20 communes of Hung Nguyen district. The project implemented communication activities such as: Launching and propagating through competitions, loudspeakers, clubs... contributing to gradually forming the habit of washing hands with soap among local people.

Medical staff instruct Hung Phuc kindergarten students (Vinh City) to wash their hands with soap. Photo: Nguyet Minh

Dien Thanh Primary School (Dien Chau) is one of the schools selected by the Provincial Center for Preventive Medicine in coordination with the District People's Committee to launch the project "Handwashing with soap for a healthy Vietnam in 2013 - 2014". This is an important project with practical significance in the work of taking care of community health in Nghe An province in general and Dien Chau district in particular. Propaganda activities on the benefits of handwashing with soap in disease prevention and control, proper handwashing with soap... are still regularly and widely deployed in schools and communities. Up to now, handwashing with soap has become a daily habit of all students in schools.

The communication measures implemented synchronously by the Provincial Center for Preventive Medicine have contributed to raising awareness of the benefits and importance of hand washing with soap and changing behavior in washing hands properly with soap; contributing to protecting public health.

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