S. Sudan marks Global Handwashing Day with calls for cholera fight

October 15, 2015 (JUBA) – More than 800,000 children in South Sudan marked on Thursday the annual World Handwashing Day by washing their hands with soap and clean water in a symbolic show of how the practice was essential in fighting cholera. 

The day, celebrated nationally under the theme “Raise Clean Hands and Push Cholera out of South Sudan,”included events across the country to further spread the word that clean hands is a crucial step in containing cholera.

“More than one in 10 children in South Sudan die before their fifth birthday – most of them from diarrheal diseases and acute respiratory infections such as pneumonia,” said UNICEF’s representative in South Sudan, Jonathan Veitch. 

“This can be drastically reduced by handwashing with soap and clean water,” he added.

In 2014, according to the national health ministry report, there were around 6,420 cases of cholera of which 167 cases resulted in to death in the world’s youngest nation.

This year, however, up to 1,815 cases of cholera have been reported with 47 deaths.

Recently, the number of cases have declined dramatically, with no new confirmed cases of cholera reported in the past two weeks, UNICEF said in a statement issued Thursday.

Following the 2014 cholera outbreak, UNICEF and partners reportedly responded by intensifying the promotion of washing hands with soap and clean water at critical times such as after using the toilet and before touching food. UNICEF has also worked with the Government and partners in establishing cholera treatment and oral rehydration centres.

This year alone, UNICEF and partners have reportedly reached nearly 116,000 families with hygiene promotion for cholera prevention, and trained more than 280 social mobilizers and 5,652 community leaders.  In addition, it said, over 80 schools, covering 41,000 children and 920 teachers, were reached with important hygiene messages. In addition, UNICEF and partners distributed soap to over 20,000 families and provided some 550,000 households with water treatment products for safe drinking water. 

“Through the generous support from our partners and in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology we have been mobilizing communities, school children and individuals to wash hands with soap and clean water during critical times in order to reduce diseases and save lives,” said Peter Mahal Dhieu, South Sudan’s Director General for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation.

The annual event often emphasises the benefits of handwashing with soap in the prevention of common, but potentially deadly diseases like diarrhoea and pneumonia.

 (ST)