UNICEF urges Sudanese families to prioritize hygiene and prevent disease
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© UNICEF/ HQ06-0547/Noorani
Teachers demonstrate the importance of hand washing during a training session for women at the Midwives Training Center in the town of Kadugli in southern Sudan. UNICEF supports the center with supplies, equipment and teacher training.
KHARTOUM, Sudan (July 2, 2008) — With most of Sudan experiencing the onset of the annual rainy season, UNICEF is urging families and households to prioritize personal hygiene in an effort to reduce the risks from water–borne diseases.
In 2007, a combination of water treatment programs and improved hygiene education prevented a serious outbreak of acute diarrhea and cholera in the country.
"The start of the rains increases the likelihood of water-borne diseases, which can lead to fatalities especially amongst children," said UNICEF Representative Ted Chaiban. "However, effective actions by individuals can reduce the risks of major outbreaks. Everyone must play their part to protect their own health."
An estimated 28 percent of children under the age of five in Sudan will experience diarrhea during a year. UNICEF recommends a number of simple measures that families can take to protect themselves from water–borne diseases:
- Obtain all water from safe sources such as hand pumps
- In all cases, only use chlorinated or boiled water
- Keep drinking water covered and only use clean cups, pots and jerry cans
- Wash your hands before touching or eating food
- Wash your hands every time after visiting the latrine
- Keep your latrine clean and free of flies
- Wash vegetables and fruit before cooking or eating, and eat food while still hot
- Keep food well covered and free of flies
- Seek immediate medical attention in case of illnesses such as diarrhea
© UNICEF/ HQ04-0934/Noorani
A girl carries a container of water on her head, at a UNICEF-assisted water point in the Otash camp for displaced people, on the outskirts of Nyala, capital of South Darfur. UNICEF support at the camp includes the rehabilitation and installation of handpumps, hygiene education and the provision of water bladders, wells, latrines and related supplies.
UNICEF and its partners are actively supporting a program of preventative measures to reduce the risk of water–borne illnesses—chlorination of water sources for some 2.1 million people in the northern states; tankering of clean water to more than 96,000 people per week in Juba; installing surface water treatment plants in Southern Sudan; ensuring that sufficient medical supplies such as oral rehydration salts are ready in case of any disease outbreaks; and implementing public education and awareness programs.
"UNICEF is pleased to be a key actor in preventing disease outbreaks during the rainy season, but providing supplies and clean water sources is not enough by itself," said Chaiban. "Every household must do what it can to ensure it is protected against water–related diseases—not just in the rainy season, but throughout the year."
