As the world celebrates the fifth annual Global Hand washing Day, the City of Joburg (COJ) has joined UNICEF in emphasizing the fact that the very simple act of handwashing with soap can save lives of thousands of children who needlessly die every year from preventable causes of diarrhea and respiratory infections.
The COJ will celebrate the Global Hand washing Day on Tuesday 15 October 2013, at the Union Stadium in Newlands, Johannesburg.
This year the message will be carried to millions of school children in over 100 countries around the world and will include communities as well. This is the first year that the COJ Health Department has joined the Global Business Coalition in celebrating Global Hand washing Day.
The activities will include demonstrations of hand washing to the school children and community and also highlighting the importance of hand washing. The week from 9 -15 October was National Nutrition Week. Therefore the programme will include the importance of hand washing in the preparation of food. The COJ’s health department will also be conducting screening tests for community members for health conditions such as Diabetes, Hypertension, HIV and some cancers.
As diarrheal diseases are basically transmitted through consumption of contaminated water and food, one of the simplest methods of infection control is hand washing with soap and water.
“Global Hand washing Day is more than just a day,” says Cllr Nonceba Molwele, the MMC for Health and Social Development in the COJ. “We want the message to spread from children to families, communities and nations. It is critically important that hand washing with soap becomes routine for everyone”.