Your hands are killing you, wash!

Health stakeholders are calling for a nationwide campaign on hand washing following the fact that statistically 98% of national diseases are spread by dirty hands.

This is according to remarks made during the launch of commemorations to mark the Global Hand washing day on 15th October.

Cate Namyalo, a senior environmental health officer at the Ministry of Water and environment said many people know the purpose of washing hands but it is not yet a practice.

‘We want people not to stop at knowing but make it a practice to wash hands as soon as they touch anywhere or anything’ she said.

Namyalo’s remarks come ahead of the global hand washing day that will be observed under the theme,” our future is at hand let’s move forward”.

Uganda has had the national commemoration of Global Handwashing Day on a rotational basis at the regional level targeting districts that are either having low coverage of hand washing or those that are exemplary or championing handwashing with soap.

It is against this backdrop that the ministry of health has often advised that washing hands with soap and water protects one from COVID-19 and other preventable diseases such as Cholera, Typhoid, Hepatitis A, among others.

Hand washing is known but it is not regarded seriously and according to the ministry of water, majority of diseases can be prevented by handwashing and as such they will not tire until the habit is a day to day practice.

“I think you have been in markets during this Covid19 time and you see how people do not respond to the hand washing facilities and they say that are tired of washing hands.”Namyalo revealed.

Last year as per the national hand washing coverage, rural Uganda stood at 38% in communities and because of sensitization, today it stands at 44.6% whereas in urban areas the figure stands at 61%.

That aside, only 32 percent of Ugandans have access to a basic water supply, while 19 percent have access to basic sanitation amid the ongoing hand washing campaign but according the ministry, they are trying to make sure that every village has access to a clean water source to make sure that people cease to travel long distances looking for clean water.