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Hand washing drive launched

Hand washing prevents the spread of infection and ultimately saves lives. To drive this message home, Mafraq Hospital launched a campaign on good hand hygiene practice to mark the ‘Global Hand Washing Day’ on Thursday.

‘Clean Hands Save Lives’ targets hospital staff, patients and the nearby community, especially children. The hospital mascot ‘Habib the Hand’ was at hand to educate children on the benefits of clean hands and the importance of soap hand washing.

“Soap hand washing is considered the most effective and also prevents diarrhoea infections (shigellosis, typhoid and cholera), severe respiratory tract infections (including SARS and bird flu) and pneumonia, which collectively are considered the main reason for the majority of infant mortalities,” said Dr Mohammad Yaman, Chief Medical Officer of Mafraq Hospital. Despite the availability of soap in most households, a survey showed that the rate of soap hand washing is very minimal.

“The campaign is focusing on turning soap hand wash from just a good idea into a natural habit to be practised at houses and in schools; this is the only simple procedure to break the chain reaction of infection and to prevent against diseases,” said Dr Yaman.

olivia@khaleejtimes.com