The Keta Municipal Health Directorate in the Volta Region has organised a public education programme on hand hygiene, aimed to educate the public on the importance of handwashing at critical times in preventing the spread of diseases and sicknesses.
This initiative was part of the global events to commemorate annual World Hand Hygiene (WHHD) Day on May 5, every year and prevention of communicable diseases.
Madam Dora Kugbonu, the Health Promotion Officer at Keta, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, in commemorating the day, said that research has revealed that about 90 per cent of sicknesses and diseases are carried by hands.
“Hand hygiene is a critical aspect of preventing the spread of diseases and education is to emphasise the importance of washing hands under running water to help eradicate diseases and sicknesses,” she said.
She said the education programme was designed to educate the public on the proper ways of washing hands and the directorate deemed it necessary to sensitise the communities on the importance of hand hygiene in preventing the spread of diseases.
She explained that the move was part of the directorate efforts to educate the residents on proper hand washing techniques which includes washing hands under clean running water by using soap while rubbing hands together to ensure that all parts of the hands are clean as well as using of hand sanitisers to kill germs on hands.
“The benefits of hand hygiene are numerous, by practicing good hand hygiene, individuals can prevent the spread of diseases and sicknesses which help reduce the risk of infection and promote overall health and well-being,” Madam Kugbonu said.
She said that the public education programme has targeted the general public, with a focus on schools, markets, churches, Mosque, and other public places to ensure that everyone in the Keta municipality has access to information on hand hygiene.
She said that the Keta Municipal Health Directorate is working with other stakeholders including collaborating with schools, community leaders, and other organisations to ensure that the message of hand hygiene is spread far and wide to promote hand hygiene washing practices, which commenced on Monday, May 5, 2025 and is expected to end on Friday, May 9, 2025, together with a child health promotion week.
She said the impact of the public education programme on hand hygiene is expected to be significant and the directorate hopes to reduce the spread of diseases and sicknesses in the Keta municipality to save lives.
Madam Kugbonu said the Keta Municipal Health Directorate plans to continue promoting hand hygiene and other health related issues would help promote public education programmes and monitoring the impact of the initiative in the municipality for the beneficial of all communities.
She said the health directorate is committed to ensuring that the public has access to information on hand hygiene and is empowered to take action to protect public health and urged all to collaborate and support for a successful exercise.
The theme for 2025 World Hand Hygiene Day was: “WHO SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands”.
Source: GNA
