Hand hygiene is effective in preventing infections - First Lady

First Lady Margaret Kenyatta has said frequently washing hands with water and soap saves lives by curbing the spread of viruses.

“Hand washing and hygiene have never been more topical or important than in our current situation,” the First Lady said.

Margaret Kenyatta’s message was delivered during celebrations to mark this year’s Global Hand Washing Day held today at the AMREF Africa University in Nairobi.

The theme of this year’s Global Hand Washing Day is “Hand Hygiene for All’.

She expressed the need to embrace behavior change that entrenches a culture of washing hands , saying it is a solution that can be implemented at the individual level.

“Now more than ever, we need to embrace and change the way we think about health and the measures we need to take to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities,” she said.

She added that “Our experience during this Covid-19 pandemic has strengthened our resilience and unity of purpose to fight the effects of this disease.”

Margaret commended AMREF Africa for hosting the event as well as the Ministry of Health and the National Business Compact on Coronavirus for using the occasion to reinvigorate and reconfirm the commitment to promote hand washing at all levels.

She also praised the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene sectors for their role in advocacy and community engagement to promote behavior change as well as the creation of infrastructure that buttresses hand washing.

“We have seen institutions and coalitions such as the UN family, the National Business Compact on Coronavirus , and many others spearheading the hand washing and protective hygiene agenda.”

October, being the Breast Cancer month, the First Lady took the opportunity to remind Kenyans of the importance of early detection and screening as a way of reducing the burden of the disease.