Ho, Nov. 7, GNA- Nana Garbrah-Aidoo, Hygiene Consultant of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), on Thursday urged the general public especially nursing mothers to discard the notion that babies excreta was not injurious to health.

She explained that a milligram of excreta contained billions of viruses, millions of bacteria, worm eggs and other parasites, resulting in 25 percent of deaths in children under five years and ranked third, among major illnesses in hospitals in the country.

Nana Garbrah-Aidoo was speaking at the Volta Regional and District Steering Committee Orientation workshop on "Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for Hand-washing with Soap, in conjunction with the Volta Region Community Water and Sanitation Agency (VRCWSA) in Ho.

The PPP initiative was to promote hand washing with soap after toilet and cleaning up the child before feeding to reduce child morbidity and mortality from diarrhoeal diseases and infections.
The World Bank, Water and Sanitation Programme, UNICEF and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine are collaborating the initiative in Ghana with its success case study replicated in developing countries. Nana Garbrah-Aidoo called for a sustained culture of awareness creation on hand-washing among school children to reduce the risk of contracting diarrhoeal diseases adding, that hand washing with soap could save the lives of 40,000 Ghanaians, a year.
Mr Emmanuel T. Nyavor, Hygiene Education Specialist of VRCWSA said a study on sustainability of changes in hygiene behaviour in schools and communities in the region in 2001, recorded 92 percent on hygiene knowledge whereas 10 percent of schools practised hygiene.
He, therefore, called for pragmatic policies on hygiene interventions to sustain good hygienic practices both at school and in homes. Mr Nyavor urged school authorities not to perceive the implementation of the School Health Education Programme (SHEP) as an additional duty but as onerous responsibility in line with the policies of the Ghana Education Service.
Mr Samuel D. Gyang, Volta Regional Director of Education noted that about 1,271 people including School-based Health Co-ordinators, Headteachers and Circuit Supervisors had benefited from the SHEP since its inception in 1992.
He said within the same period, 594 institutional KVIP latrines were also constructed to promote hygiene behaviour change in schools but unfortunately, survey reports on hygiene and sanitation in schools indicated unimpressive achievements.
Mr Gyang hoped that subsequent survey findings would be positive. Earlier, the Regional Director of VRCWSA, Mr Emmanuel Boateng presented three basic schools, which excelled in hygiene practice with hand-washing receptacles, brochures and certificates.
They are, Anfoega-Bume E. P. Primary School in the Kpando district emerging the overall best school; Woe-Aklobordzi Basic School in the Ketu district was the first runner-up while Avega-Agornu Basic school in the Akatsi district was second runner-up.