Stakeholders in the health sector have called for the sustained hygiene and behavioural changes adopted to curb the spread of COVID‑19 to be maintained in order to prevent other infections in the country. Speaking at the close‑out ceremony of the Hygiene and Behaviour Change Coalition Phase Two (HBCC 2) project in Abuja on Monday, they emphasized that the health‑promotion activities and strategies developed for fighting the pandemic should continue.
HBCC 2 is a Population Services International Nigeria project tasked with transforming lives through hygiene. The coalition is a task force of charitable organisations, United Nations agencies, and academic partners, supported by Unilever and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Leveraging the expertise and networks of all implementing partners, the project promoted handwashing and good‑hygiene messages in collaboration with the Federal and State Ministries of Health in Kano, Nasarawa, Oyo, Osun, Lagos, and the Federal Capital Territory. It aimed to improve adherence to COVID‑19 prevention guidelines and support vaccine uptake. The project began on 1 April 2022 and will conclude on 31 March 2023.
Dr Boladale Alonge, Director of the Family Health Department at the Federal Ministry of Health, noted that a five‑step programme for designing, implementing, and ensuring sustained behaviour change was developed during HBCC 2. This programme supported the ministry in creating, disseminating, and distributing social and behaviour‑change materials on COVID‑19 preventive measures. Additionally, a vaccine‑locator app was developed to help the public find the nearest vaccination sites. “We may not need to use facemasks, but it is important that every eligible person is immunised and that we sustain the behavioural changes that control COVID‑19. We must continue hygienic practices and health‑promotion information to prevent other infections,” he said.
Dr Fatima Bunza, Chief of Party and Head of Programmes, highlighted the role of media interventions in preventing and curbing the spread of other infections. “The focus has been on COVID‑19 preventive measures and promotion of vaccination uptake. COVID‑19 is still very much around and we should not rest on our guards; we must continue to observe preventive measures and, for health systems, keep using the resources we have and adapt when needed,” she said.
Ladidi Bako‑Aiyegbusi, Director of the Head Promotion Division of the Federal Ministry of Health, stressed that maintaining the hygiene and behavioural changes adopted during the pandemic will help reduce the disease burden nationwide. “We are winning the battle against COVID‑19, and people are encouraged to adhere to all preventive measures against other diseases. When coughing, use a handkerchief or cough into your elbow; in crowded places, maintain distance because you know your health status but not others’; and wash your hands frequently,” she advised.
Comments are closed for this story.