APA – Lagos (Nigeria)
Nigerians on Wednesday joined millions of people around the world to mark Global Hand Hygiene Day and mobilise citizens on the campaign, which was launched in 2009 - ‘SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands’.
According to the statement by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), this campaign aims to maintain the promotion, visibility and sustainability of hand hygiene in healthcare settings around the world.
Led by global advocacy efforts, the campaign now supports a social movement that helps to keep patients and health workers safe.
It stated that since 2019, the NCDC, through the National Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), programme has led the country's efforts to make hand hygiene day activities a major national event in order to raise the consciousness of Nigerians on these efforts, and their role in saving lives.
This year, the global Hand Hygiene Day theme is “Achieving hand hygiene at the point of care”, and the slogan is “Seconds save lives – clean your hands!”
It noted that the COVID 19 pandemic has further exposed the risk of care-associated infections in low and middle income countries, particularly in patients admitted to intensive care units and in neonates.
“This is a major public health problem in Nigeria and has a significant impact on morbidity, mortality and quality of life.
“The national sub-theme for Nigeria this year is “One Nation, One Plan: Turn Nigeria Orange!”.
“This recognises the efforts that have been made since the launch of the ‘Orange Network' in 2019. The Orange Network is a network of dedicated tertiary health facilities in Nigeria
supported by NCDC, through the ‘Orange Project' to become centers of excellence in infection prevention and control,” it said.
According to the statement, the NCDC recognises that the safety of health workers has to be at the forefront of Nigeria's response strategy to prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases.
And in line with activities to mark the 2021 World Hand Hygiene Day, the NCDC in collaboration with the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi organised a lecture on the importance of hand hygiene in health care settings.
“Together with its committed partners, Infection Control Africa Network, Nigeria Society for Infection Control, Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh Health Trust, DRASA, Africa Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and others we ask that everyone takes action to promote hand hygiene,” it added.