The Ashanti Regional Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service has officially launched handwashing week campaign.
The launch, set ahead of the Global Hand Washing celebration on October 15, is aimed at creating awareness on the need for proper handwashing with soap under running water during the pandemic. The activity precedes a week-long celebration between October 10 and 17.
The Ashanti Regional Deputy Director of the Ghana Health Service in charge of Public Health, Dr Michael Rockson Adjei at the ceremony explained the importance of proper handwashing as a protocol in preventing the spread of the coronavirus in the country.
He indicated that handwashing aside its weighty task in the fight against Covid-19 has helped reduce the spread of some infectious diseases like; diarrhoea, hookworm infection, dracunculiasis, schistosomiasis among others.
Hand washing has been one of the strategies by the government for preventing and control of the pandemic and also reducing poverty whiles improving socio-economic development as well as responding to global emergencies and outbreaks of life-threatening illness.
Dr Michael Rockson Adjei in interview with Silver FM’s Akwadaa Nyame said, despite the fight against poor sanitation, nearly half of the population in Kumasi relies on public toilets, with only one toilet serving about a 1,000 people.
Touching on the Covid-19 update in the Ashanti Region, Dr. Rockson Adjei said the region is gradually recording a reduction in the number of cases, but warned the general public not to be complacent by flouting the protocols since it can lead to a fourth wave of the pandemic.
“Currently the region has taken delivery of 318,140 doses of AstraZenecca and so far 198,000 plus doses have been administered as vaccination is still ongoing in all districts across the region” he added.
He later described the vaccine as a game changer in the fight against the novel pandemic and urge the citizenry to participate since its effective in reducing morbidity and mortality.
The Ashanti Region now has cumulative cases of 20,689 with 382 deaths with only 25 active cases.
Source: Akwadaa Nyame | Silver FM
