Windhoek Mayor urges people to wash hands to promote good health and hygiene
The country should creatively design, test, and replicate effective handwashing methods as it commemorates Health and Hygiene Promotion Month, an official said on Thursday.
Speaking in a keynote address at a commemoration event, Windhoek City Mayor, Joseph Uapingene said the annual Health and Hygiene Promotion Month is an initiative that was prioritized as an intervention at improving and maintaining hygiene conditions at food establishments, specifically at informal food markets.
“Hence, our annual Health and Hygiene Promotion Month further serves to highlight health and hygiene promotion efforts targeted at schools, food handling markets, and the Windhoek community at large,” he said.
According to Uapingene the unhygienic environmental conditions sometimes observed at informal markets, and inadequate market infrastructure can undermine traders’ sales and equally pose serious health risks to customers and the traders themselves.
“I encourage traders to trade in clean and safe environments to increase your sales and where possible, minimize or eliminate the outbreak of diseases,” he said.
Uapingene said the country and big parts of Windhoek still battle widespread open defecation.
“Let us be patient, but steadfast in our efforts to promote health and hygiene. During this month and beyond, let us try to educate ourselves and others about the importance of good health practices,” he said.
While Global Handwashing Day is celebrated every year on 15 October, Uapingene said the municipal authority will also join and support the government and the world’s celebrations to eliminate and reduce the spread of infections and diseases.
