Human beings have been battling infections and viruses since the inception of the world; Common cold, Bird flu, Ebola, Zika, Lassa fever and now Coronavirus; there seems to be news of a new dangerous virus almost every day. For some viral diseases, vaccines and antiviral drugs have allowed us to keep infections from spreading widely, and have helped sick people recover. However, for most viral infections, cure seems a long way from home.
The means of reducing the risk of being infected with most viruses and germs is by paying more attention to our hands. Hands are the most exposed part of the body to germs, touching the eyes, mouth, nose or food with infected hands transfer germs into the body.
There are five common ways germs are spread through the hands:
đź“Ś Hands to food
đź“Ś Food to hands and to food
đź“Ś Nose, eyes or mouth to hands and transferred to others through hand contact
đź“Ś Infected child to hand, to other children
đź“Ś Animals to hands, to people.
Wow! the hands then needs more attention than we give it, don’t they? Frequent hand-washing is the first and best line of defense against the spread of many infections — from the common catarrh to more serious infections, such as Lassa fever, Ebola virus, Diarrhea, etc. therefore, I should wash my hands:
đź“Ś After using the toilet.
đź“Ś After playing outdoors.
đź“Ś After arriving home
đź“Ś After coughing or blowing your nose.
đź“Ś Before making or eating food.
đź“Ś After playing with animals
đź“Ś Before touching the eyes.
Doing all these will protect me and my family members from easily contracting and spreading life threatening infections. Children don’t usually listen when caregivers tell them to wash their hands before eating, after using the bathroom, or after playing. Nevertheless, it is a message worth repeating — hand-washing is unarguably the best way to prevent germs from spreading and keeping kids from getting sick.
This is why at Kids & Teens Resource Centre (K&TRC), we do not stop at just telling Kids about Hand hygiene, we go a step further by establishing structures that will sustain new habits learnt. One of such structures is the Children Hygiene and Sanitation Education Club (CHASE CLUB) aimed at proffering solutions to health issues such as dysentery and diarrhea, through hand washing.
*CHASE CLUB*
Through the CHASE CLUB, K&TRC aims to contribute to the global goal of ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. The Club consists of children between the ages of 4 and 18 in rural communities, who are educated on hygiene and sanitation to stand as organs of enlightenment among their peers. The children are led by a president who is also within the same age bracket with the children.
For more information on how to set up a CHASE CLUB in your School or Community, please contact Folashade on 08035077737
*Remember, “Your First line of Defense against germs is clean hands”*