Handwashing has always been important before COVID-19

In 2018, a record number of school children in Nigeria were in a relay to become the largest number of children washing their hands in a single day. They were set to beat the then-record holder, India, with around 2,600 children in a handwashing relay. Fast forward to 2020, and handwashing has become a buzzword. […]

In 2018, a record number of school children in Nigeria were in a relay to become the largest number of children washing their hands in a single day. They were set to beat the then-record holder, India, with around 2,600 children in a handwashing relay.

Fast forward to 2020, and handwashing has become a buzzword. The outbreak of COVID-19 has made it a must-do.

Reckitt Benckiser, maker of hygiene products Dettol, sponsored the handwashing relay in Nigeria in hopes of beating India’s relay sponsored by Rotary.

“Nobody expected a serious and highly infectious coronavirus to become the biggest story of 2020,” the firm said in a statement.

But it has been behind championing the case for deepening and expanding a culture of handwashing, particularly among young people.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the firm had donated hygiene products to complement the stimulus package offered by Lagos and Ogun governments as residents remain in lockdown for an initial two weeks, and an additional two weeks.

A “school hygiene programme” in Lagos came up after the government realised educating young people on the important of good hygiene was essential for defeating communicable diseases.

“Lagos State Government has decided to focus on SDG6 and SDG3 which relate to the health and environment pillars,” said Special Adviser for Sustainable Development Goals, Lagos State Government, Solape Hammond.

“It’s very important that sanitation and wellbeing are taken very seriously. Now, with what is going on with Coronavirus, we know that it is a disease that is easily communicable, but the chances of its spread are greatly reduced when people wash their hands, so we are encouraging every Lagosian out there to adopt these hygiene practices.”

Then, it was Lassa fever. Now, it is COVID-19. The goal is to reach 50,000 children across 20 council areas of the state.

Beyond Lagos, handwashing—and any other form of hand hygiene—is becoming a fad, forced on by COVID-19.

Banks have cut down on service hours, but customers must use hand sanitiser before going through the revolving doors. They have marked out squares 2m apart for customers to stand in inside banking halls, and spaced seats 2m apart. Bank security limit entry into banks to the number of seats or spaces available.

Even local pubs and parlours provide handwashing stations before patrons are allowed in.

In days leading up to President Muhammadu Buhari’s first broadcast on coronavirus, schools followed the directives on handwashing, providing handwashing stations at entry points.

The push for handwashing has been on for more years in the lead up to the present pandemic.

That’s the education of “more than 6 million students and teachers over a 7-year period as part of one of its hygiene education programme,” the firm said in a statement.

“Teaching handwashing to impressionable kids is the most impactful and accessible way of positively impacting Nigerian healthcare.”

Back in 2018 and during the 3,000-children relay, national coordinator of the food safety and quality programme at the federal health ministry, Fubura Chukwu, represented then health minister Isaac Adewole.

That’s nearly 18 months before the present coronavirus pandemic. But does it explain the focus on handwashing?

“The reason is simple,” says Dayanand Sriram, general manger for Reckitt Benckiser West Africa.

“In return for the relatively small expense of as little as N5 for soap and often freely available freshwater, the healthcare outcomes of regular hand washing are nothing short of stellar.

“A US study in 2008 found that washing hands regularly cuts the risk of contracting respiratory infections by up to 21 per cent.

“In addition to getting rid of flu viruses and other pathogens from one’s own skin and thus reducing the risk factor for individual infection, handwashing reduces the transmission risk for disease-causing viruses and bacteria, which helps general public health and reduces the potential strain on healthcare facilities.

“Our health is in our hands. Hand washing a few times during the day prevents a lot of illnesses. In light of the rapid spread of COVID-19, what we can do individually is to carry out preventive actions and constant hand hygiene is one of the most important ones in the fight against communicable diseases.”

With COVID-19 still raging, the hope is to flatten the transmission curve, even as community transmission of the virus is being increasingly reported.

Handwashing might just help flatten the curve sooner.