>>> Vietnam enters 47th day with no COVID-19 community transmissions
In response to the Global Handwashing Day, a week-long hand washing campaign has been launched by the Population Services International (PSI) - Vietnam in coordination with the Departments of Health and the Centres for Disease Control in Hanoi, Thai Nguyen and Bac Ninh, reaching over 15,000 workers at local factories.
Despite impressive achievements in fighting against COVID-19, amid the complicated developments of the epidemic around the world, as well as the re-opening of international routes, Vietnam is still at risk of epidemic spread. Therefore, individual preventive measures need to be maintained to prevent disease, according to health experts.
As hand washing with soap is an effective, low-cost measure with great significance in COVID-19 and other diseases prevention, the World Health Organisation has recommended frequent hand washing with soap or dry hand sanitiser, which has been proven can reduce the spread of respiratory diseases by 44%.
The recent handwashing week has attracted the attention of a large number of factories and workers, with about 15,000 participants through communication channels and 4,000 direct participations at the launching event that featured meaningful activities, including handwriting commitments to wash hands with soap, guiding hand washing practice with the LaBobo mobile hand washing device, and giving backup products such as hand sanitiser and face masks for attendees.
The programme is an activity within the framework of the PEPHER project aimed at mobilising the private sector to participate in emergency response to public health events co-sponsored by the UK Department of International Development (DFID) and Unilever and being implemented by PSI Vietnam in four localities of Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Ha Nam and Thai Nguyen, with the aim of improving knowledge and applying preventive measures against infectious diseases in the community, while improving the private sector's contribution to mitigate COVID-19 cases through the strengthening of preventive measures and national surveillance systems.
The project is expected to reach about 6.5 million people, including physicians and pharmacists in private health facilities, as well as people directly or indirectly to seek treatment or buy drugs.
Nguyen Thi Le Hoa, PSI Vietnam Director said that her organisation saw this series of events as a good opportunity to emphasise the importance of maintaining simple yet meaningful hygiene practices in the public. It was also one of the messages that the PEPHER project wanted to convey to the community, she affirmed, adding that she was delighted to see that both individuals and private sector partners have taken practical actions to join hands with the government in the fight against COVID-19.
