By Chioma Obinna

As the World Health Organisation declared Nigeria an Ebola free nation, Community Pharmacists have called for good hygiene practices with an appeal to managers of private and public schools to provide running water in order to sustain the campaign against the Ebola Virus Disease, EVD and other infectious diseases.

Speaking in Lagos on this year’sHand Washing Day, pharmacists under the auspices of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, ACPN, the National Chairman, Olufemi Ismael Adebayo harped on hand washing with soap as a choice that every Nigerian can make to keep disease at bay.

“Good hygiene practice must become a habit that involves regular performance. People should choose hand washing not only on global hand washing day but every day. When people choose to wash their hands with soap, especially after using the rest room and before touching food, they are choosing to create a healthier environment not only for themselves but for people around them.”

Adebayo who appealed to management of schools across the country to include hand washing in their curriculum urged them to provide running waters in the schools.

According to him, hand washing focuses on children because not only do they suffer most from diarrhoea and respiratory diseases and death, but research shows that children are ever energetic, enthusiastic and open to new ideas. They are also powerful agents of changes for behavioural shift like hand washing with soap in their communities.

Applauding the decision to delay the reopening of schools, he expressed hope that the commitment exhibited by governments and Nigerians to contain EVD will continue.

“Ebola is a public health issue and it involves all stakeholders and that is why ACPN as stakeholder in the healthcare delivery has in the last three years been carrying out the campaign in primary and secondary schools across the country.   We believe that a vast change in hand washing behaviour is critical to meeting the Millennium Development Gaols, MDGs of reducing mortality of children under 5 years of age by two third by 2015.

“Hand washing with soap under running water still remains the cheapest and most effective way to prevent Ebola, diarrhoea, typhoid and respiratory diseases,” he declared.