Dr Charles Ohiri, an Epidemiologist based in Abuja, on Thursday advised Nigerians to maintain consistency in hygienic practice in order to avoid communicable diseases.
Ohiri told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the act of cleanliness should be cultivated by every individual.
He expressed concern with people’s lack of interest in keeping their environment clean, adding that most communicable diseases thrived in dirty or untidy environment.
The epidemiologist recalled outbreak of the Charles Ohiri and how serious approach was given to it by Nigerians, who made sure they observed the tradition of keeping their hands clean regularly.
“But with time, the practice has reduced, people no longer take hygiene serious.
“In public places, including banks, there are wash hand basins and soaps in designated locations but people are no longer using them, owing to the fact that Nigeria has been declared free of EVD,” he said.
Ohiri, however, noted that despite that some people were not consistent with staying clean, there were still individuals who would not joke with their cleanliness.
The doctor emphasised that even in the absence of EVD, precautionary measures and personal hygiene should be a regular practice in order to avoid communicable diseases.
He, therefore, noted that keeping the environment clean at all times also help in preventing communicable diseases.
TO celebrate the 2018 World Health Day, leading hygiene solution provider, Tolaram Africa Enterprises Ltd, makers of Hypo bleach, has sensitised residents on the importance of clean environment to healthy living.
The brand took its “Team Up to Clean Up” campaign to Ifelodun Community in Bariga, Lagos State, where residents were sensitised on the need to maintain proper hygiene.
Marketing Manager, Hypo, Timothy Arowosegbe said the brand has become a household name and there were no better ways to give back to consumers than influencing a positive behaviour for good hygiene.
Arowosegbe noted that poor sanitation kills about 5,250,000 children (under five) every year in the world. And, sadly, Nigeria is one of the major contributors to child-deaths due to poor sanitation.
He said: “Hypo is the leading brand household cleaning. Sanitation is geared towards protecting and promoting public health which helps to improve the environment. We recognise our responsibility to the society and this is why we decided to donate to the betterment of the society.
“Cleanliness is not a choice. To stay healthy, cleanliness must be imbibed as an essential way of life. If we have a cleaner environment, there is a good chance that most of the avoidable diseases tormenting us, like malaria, typhoid, dysentery and Lassa fever, would be far away.
“This hope of a cleaner environment will only be achieved through proper waste disposal and management. Individuals should take the responsibility of disposing their waste properly.
“Anyone who keeps his house clean will keep his immediate environment clean. I urge you all to take this message of hygiene seriously and diseases would be far from us.”
Chairman of Ifelodun Community Development Association Babatunde Hakeem Musa said the decision to partner Hypo was to collaborate with a health inclined brand which prioritises the community’s wellbeing.
He said: “Hypo started with the introduction of affordable bleach for all, and we believe that this outreach would not be the last partnership between the company and the community.”
Popular Nollywood actress Fathia Williams, who led the clean-up, appealed to parents and guardians to live healthy through good public health practices.
Clean-up tools such as latex hand gloves, rakes, nose mask, shovels, stick brushes, bowls, buckets, brooms, parkers, sanitary waste bags and Hypo bleach were given free to residents.
Dr Itopa Garuba, a behavioural Scientist at the General Hospital Minna, has called on Nigerians to adopt sleep hygiene for the body’s general well being.
He told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview in Minna, on Saturday that a good sleep is beneficial to the general well being of the body and should not be compromised.
Garuba said that lack of quality sleep is responsible for many health conditions ravaging the human body.
He said that routine sleep hygiene is important for the body system to enable it function at its best, urging individuals to maintain sleeping time and should not alter it.
“It is sacrosanct to have a sleeping time and we should try to respect it; we should refrain from stimulant such as tea, coffee, smoking as it affects the nervous system and deprive sleep.
“We should avoid movies that will excite us, we should avoid watching Television while we are on the bed, and avoid clogging our bed room” he said.
Garuba reiterated the need for everybody to appreciate that the body needs to resuscitate and renew itself adding that the lost energy needs to be restored while we sleep.
“Frequent lack of good sleep can affect the immune system and the consequence of that is frequent catching of cold and flu.” he said.
He said that men and women who do not have good sleep, have poor sex life which is also detrimental to their psychological well being.
According to him good sleep increases fertility in couples while frequent sleep disorder affects the reproductive hormone which causes infertility.
Garuba further attributed the cause of forgetfulness to inadequate sleep saying that while we sleep our brain works and if we get poor sleep it affects retention and cognition.
He noted that poor sleep is associated to poor mental health, anxiety, depression, mood disorders and other related problems.
According to him frequent loss of sleep can cause the brain cell to die as a result of lack of oxygen which can also cause stroke.
Garuba said that having enough exercise and eating healthily is not the only thing a good heart needs but a quality sleep devoid of distractions.
”Newborns needs 14 to 17 hours sleep; infants, 12 to 15 hours sleep; toddlers, 11 to 14 hours sleep; pre-school age, 10 to 13 hours sleep and school age, 9 to 11 hours sleep.
“Teenagers, 8 to 10 hours sleep; young adults, 7 to 9 hours sleep; adults, 7 to 9 hours sleep and older adults, 7 to 8 hours of recommended sleep for the body to function optimally” he said.
He however said that it was wrong for an individual to abuse drugs that aids sleep, as it would cause insomnia on the long run. (NAN)
Unilever Nigeria Plc, maker of Pepsodent toothpaste, has charged Nigerians to adopt good oral care practices by brushing twice daily to improve general health and quality of life.
Speaking at the end of the National Oral Health Week yesterday, Regional Sales Manager, Middle Belt, Unilever Nigeria Plc, David Ebah, reaffirmed Unilever Nigeria’s commitment to improving oral healthcare among Nigerians.
In 2016, Unilever Nigeria signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Ministry of Health to improve the oral health of children in Nigeria and educate them on the importance of brushing day and night via the Unilever Brush Day and Night Schools Programme.
Category Manager, Oral Care, Unilever Nigeria Plc, Toluwaleke Salu stated that since 2014, through the Pepsodent Brush Day and Night Schools Programme, Unilever has directly educated over 3.5 million Nigerian children to imbibe the culture of brushing twice daily by using a fluoride toothpaste such as Pepsodent, in order to prevent oral diseases.
A medical expert, Dr Yinka David of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), has advised parents to be conscious of their children’s hygiene and dispose dirty water in their surroundings.
David, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Ilorin, further urged them to be watchful of the kind of food they fed their children with.
He said that some parents, due to environmental conditions, especially in rural areas, gave contaminated water and food to their children without considering the health implications.
According to him, contaminated waters may lead to illnesses such as nausea, vomiting, cramps, diarrhea, which can also lead to death, if not properly managed.
“Parents should care more about the hygiene of their children. Do not just feed them with anything available, to survive.
“There is an extent that children’s internal system can store infected foods and water, as it may cause severe health challenges.
“Parents must take caution and avoid being careless about their children’s health,” David said.
The medical practitioner also called on parents to ensure proper treatment of water to be used for their children, by applying disinfectants.
David advised government at all levels, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, to organise enlightenment seminar for parents, on the need for a healthy and clean water for their children’s consumption.
The Commanding Officer, 144 Battalion Lt. Col. Umar Kasim Sidi has urged residents of Aba, the commercial nerve of Abia State, and its environs to imbibe the culture of cleanliness and healthy living in their homes, offices and business premises.
Sidi stated this in an interview with our correspondent at the end of a sanitation exercise which covered Milverton, Asa, Pound, Azikiwe roads and other places in the commercial city.
The army chief stressed the importance of living and doing business in a hygienic and clean environment, adding that people can reduce the frequency of their visit to hospitals if they keep their environments clean at all times.
The community service was part of activities marking this year’s Army Day celebrations.
Col. Sidi said, “You see, there is this apathy that Abians, especially Aba residents, have about soldiers. So, we try as much as possible to do things that will make them have confidence in us especially in partnering against crime. Some of the things that we choose to do are to bring about confidence in the civil populace to enable them come close to the military and see that we are their friends and brothers. People should not be scared of the army.
“We are part of the society and community where we operate. In the past, we did medical outreach and this time we decided to embark on this exercise to help educate people and to also create awareness on the importance of people living and doing business in a clean, hygienic environment. It will save people from taking ill frequently and as such enable them use the money that they would use to treat malaria, typhoid and others to solve other issues.
“But the essence of the exercise is part of contribution to the business community which is in line with the activities to mark this year’s army celebration. I don’t have the money for now to hold medical outreaches like we did in the past, but as soon I have money from the high command, we will do medical outreach.”
During the exercise some shop owners along Park Road joined in but it was a different scenario at Milverton as transporters were busy loading passengers at their various loading bays while others watched the soldiers as they perform the community service.
Some said they were astonished seeing soldiers cleaning up the community, describing it as the first of its kind in the city.
Others made the point that such exercise will help to correct the impression people have about soldiers.
Committed to ensuring residents’ well-being, Executive Secretary of Ikeja Local Government Area of Lagos State, Mr. Adekunle Dally-Adeokun has promised to make the environment conducive for healthy living.
•Mr Dally-Adeokun durng the last sanitation exercise.
Hon. Dally-Adeokun, who spoke during the environmental sanitation held at the council headquarter, said he would work towards ensuring that residents have attitudinal change on the environment.
He noted that maintaining high level of cleanliness would engender good health, advising residents to participate actively in the monthly clean-up exercise.
The Executive Secretary called on the residents to co-operate with the council in its efforts to rid the area of waste, so as to promote healthy environment.
The council chief, however, expressed discontent over attitude of some residents who do not comply with the council’s and state’s rules and regulations with regard to proper waste disposal. He also frowned at their proclivity to indiscriminate dumping of garbage in water channels which would have devastating effects on the environment.
He said: ‘’We are appealing to residents to strictly observe the monthly environmental exercise. Today, we are not satisfied with the level of compliance, especially at Makinde Street by Obafemi Awolowo Way and Baba Yufu Close at Ward F all in Alausa Ikeja. The drainage has been blocked; the street most times are waterlogged, coupled with construction of illegal markets and parks. We are going to enforce environmental sanitation laws.
“Residents should co-operate with the council to rid the surroundings of waste, especially in front of their houses.
“It would not be business as usually. The council’s vehicles would help to evacuate wastes. The council would also work towards making residents of various communities to maintain clean environment.”
Also speaking, the wife of Executive Secretary, Mrs. Olaide Adeokun said the council was disturbed over the nonchalant attitude of some residents who block water channels with domestic waste.
She equally expressed worry over indiscriminate dumping of garbage in water channel which she said could result in overwhelming effects on the residents.
She, therefore, urged market women to always clear their environment before selling and after selling their wares to ensure clean environment, saying a dirty environment was threat to good health.
Corroborating Mrs. Adeokun’s views, the Chairman Community Development Committee (CDC) of the council, Ahaji Osinberu Sulukaleen said in their monthly stakeholders’ meeting, they would continue to appeal to residents to maintain clean and safe environment and to imbibe rewarding sanitation habits.
He also pleaded with the state government to start enforcement of the environmental laws.
Sanitation tools such as hand gloves, brooms, rakes and nylon bags for waste collection were distributed to the residents.
The Head of Environmental Services and Waste Management Unit, Mr. Kolawale Ajanaku said efforts are being made to sensitise residents to the need to clean their surroundings every day and not to wait until another sanitation day.
Meanwhile, some officials of the council, including the Deputy Executive Secretary, Prince Oluranti Olufon visited some streets to inspect the level of compliance to the day’s sanitation exercise by the residents.
Nigerians have been urged to imbibe the culture of hand hygiene.
This, according to the General Manager, Unigloves Medical, Kevin Onah,would keep the people safe from hygiene-related diseases and outbreaks. He said this in an interview in Lagos.
Onah urged healthcare workers to always protect themselves and the patient by wearing hand gloves while working.
He said outbreaks have a multiplying effect because an individual can transfer a disease to other people quickly.
His words: “Depending on the severity, for every patient they treat, health care workers should change their hand gloves. This may be subject to the sorts of procedures that are being carried out. It is not only about wearing gloves, but about wearing the correct size and wearing it appropriately.”
He said the effectiveness of any medical practice depends to a large extent, on infection control procedures, especially those that will be used in patient care pre-operative, during the operation and post operative.
He said healthcare providers tend to give excuse that not wearing gloves regularly save cost, “but what cost are they saving when people are dying. You should not wear gloves or sanitise your hands only when there is an outbreak“.
Onah said when gloves and sanitisers are appropriately used; there would be massive reduction in diseases, adding: “It would inprove the economy of the country because a healthy nation is a wealthy country. A country cannot grow economically if it does not have healthy people.”
Hygiene, he said, has to start from the grassroots, which is why the firm was previously in schools to teach children on how to properly wash and disinfect their hands. “We tried to instill the habit of healthy hygiene so they can grow with it,” he noted,” he said.
He added: “We would be visiting medical schools and teaching hospitals to advise medical students on the need to wear gloves in all procedures. Also, the various types of gloves to use in different procedures maybe sterile or non- sterile, powered or powder free.
“We do not encourage the use of powdered gloves in clinical settings because powder can cause a lot of problems to some patients. Gloves are powdered for easy wearing, but powder free can also be used,”he said.
Dr Chinwe Abama, the General Manager, Medical Department, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), has advised Nigerians to embrace hygiene in order to avoid the Ebola virus.
Abama told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos that the recent apprehension generated over the assumed resurgence of Ebola in Cross River State had given cause to the public to be at alert
“Sanitary hygiene, we need hand washing, very critical, your sanitation very critical.
“Make sure that you eat the right things, wash your vegetables, wash your food and cook the food properly, your meat especially.
“And if you have any kind of infections like that, be it fever or some kind of headache, you go and report to the doctor.
“You don’t go back home and start using agbo (herbs) or self medicating; you must go to the hospital and be treated.
“The bush animals are reservoirs of this infection of Ebola virus.
“It is important, however, if people have to eat bush meat, they must wash and cook it properly; roast properly.
“Not the one that you cut and see blood, no, but the one that is roasted and cooked very well before it is eaten.’’
IT was a week-long of activities at the Kogi State University (KSU) in Anyigba when the medical students held their Health Week. The event, with the theme: Knowing your health status: A prerequisite for healthy living, had the objective to ensure members of the university and the host community live healthy life.
The students under the aegis of KSU Medical Students Association (KSUMSA) held campaign round the campus to sensitise members of staff and students on the need to know their health status.
At a symposium organised during the Health Week, the KSUMSA president, Anthony Edogbo, said the event was to create awareness on some health challenges in the host community.
The students educated Ayingba residents about various diseases and ailments, including hypertension, diabetes and HIV/AIDS.
While saying the diseases spread due to people’s ignorance, Anthony advised the participants to ensure hygiene in their daily activities.
He said hypertension killed thousands in Nigeria yearly, adding that 60 per cent of people living with hypertension do not know they have high blood pressure. Quoting the statistics of the World Health Organisation, he said Nigeria has the highest mortality rate in Africa, with over 105,000 deaths through diabetes recorded yearly.
He said: “Hypertension and diabetes, which have been seen to be silent killers, are conditions that have minimum or no symptoms and are capable of causing death if not treated. These silent killers were known to be common among the elderly. Reverse is the case today, because a lot of young men and women have been diagnosed of the ailments.
“This is why KSUMSA has made it a burden in this Health Week to let the public have useful knowledge about the ailments and the need to get tested for HIV/AIDS.”
The event featured social activities and humanitarian service, including public awareness, counseling and free medical test for students and members of the Ayingba community.
Delegates from national and international medical students’ bodies attended the event. They include Emmanuel Abogunde, West Africa Coordinator of Federation of African Medical Students Association (FAMSA), Damilola Ogundare, FAMSA Secretary, and Rasheed Oloyede, FAMSA Director of Standing Committee on Health and Environment.
