RIYADH, 3 June 2007 — A Kingdomwide road show designed to highlight the importance of good hygiene practice both at home and in the community was launched here yesterday.
The campaign, themed “Hygiene for the 21st Century”, was launched to educate members of the public on the practice of good hygiene, which in turn would lead to a clean and healthy environment for the family. The campaign was organized by the Hygiene Council in cooperation with Reckitt Benckiser, a leading manufacturer and distributor of household cleaning products.
The Hygiene Council is an initiative bringing together leading global experts in the field of microbiology, virology, infectious diseases, immunology and public health. Its list of affiliated members hail from Canada, Germany, India, Italy, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, the United States, South Africa and Saudi Arabia.
Professor John Oxford of Britain, chair of the Hygiene Council, and professor Tariq Ahmed Madani, adviser to the minister of health, detailed the necessity for making good hygiene a preventive tool. They both said that through these practices families, and in turn the wider society, can live the adage that prevention is better than cure. A group of students, selected from various schools in the city took part in the event.
Oxford said the road show, which started in South Africa, would also be taken to Canada, the United States and Germany.
“Scientific evidence shows that simple good hygiene practices can reduce the risk of illness and infection at home and in the community, so we must protect ourselves by putting these measures into practice,” Oxford said. He pointed out that there are four main methods to achieve good hygiene, which include cleaning (hands, utensils, etc.), disinfectants (for surfaces, toys, toilets, etc.), heat (washing and cooking) and drying.
Oxford said the Hygiene Council started the initiative to inform the public that the best weapon in the fight against the spread of infections such as avian flu is good hygiene.
Madani said good hygiene practice could be maintained if one practices Islam properly. “A worshipper has to wash his hands before he performs his prayers five times a day,” Madani noted. He added that the Saudi government has effective controls in place to combat infections, and that the Ministry of Health has always taken the lead in launching awareness campaigns in both Arabic and English to stem infections.
An increasing number of people are aware of the importance of good hygiene in daily life, yet many admit they do not always follow through. This is what both the experts wanted to emphasize and correct. And in this they called on the professionals to take the lead. “There is a gap between possessing the required knowledge and practicing it,” he said.
