�Washing Hands Can Kick Out Swine Flu�

It has been established that the new �H1N1� known as swine flu can easily be avoided by simply washing hands with soap after coming into contact with infected persons or objects. The Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Dr Hannah Bissiw, who made this known at a ceremony to mark the Global Hand Washing Day in Cape Coast, underscored the importance of the campaign due to the looming threat of the pandemic influenza H1H1. She indicated that as a country, proper sanitation and good hygienic practices among other good things have all been thrown away in our quest for development and modernization�.She, therefore, called on Ghanaians to put sanitation and hygiene in their proper perspective, saying that sanitation is dignifying and good hygiene promotes health. The event, which was under the theme �Saving Lives Through Hand Washing With Soap,� forms part of the on-going campaign that was launched about six years ago to promote hand washing with soap in order to ensure healthy living. The programme was therefore aimed at raising awareness of the importance of hand washing with soap and ensuring sustained behavioral change.Dr. Bissiw, however, reiterated the need for all and sundry to wash their hands with soap in these critical times to help reduce the high incidence of diarrhea and other diseases in the country. The Central Regional Minister, Ama Benyiwa Doe, pledged her outfit�s support to the programme and indicated that hand washing is not practicable in Ghana; hence the untold hardships in most communities. She hoped such programmes would be included in the sanitation section of the National Youth Employment Programme to ensure proper hygiene in the country. A message from other developing partners including, Community Water and Sanitation Agency, UNICEF, GES and WATERAID among others stressed on the need for all to endeavour to make the campaign a success.