Business Daily (Nairobi)
Maureen Ongwae
28 April 2008
The World Bank is set to launch a public health and sanitation programme in the country to curb diarrhoea related diseases.
The project dubbed Hand Washing With Soap (HWWS) has already cost the institution $50,000 (Sh4 million ) in a baseline survey and will be launched in September this year in selected towns across the country.
Speaking in Kisumu during a workshop attended by public health officers from various districts in Nyanza province, the country hand washing co-ordinator, Mr Rufus Eshuchi, said that most diseases like cholera and diarrhoea infections were at a high rate due to improper hand washing behaviour in several household.
According to the statistics given by World Bank, only five per cent of Kenyan citizens wash their hands with water and soap compared to four per cent in Tanzania and six per cent in Uganda.
Only two per cent of the residents in Kisumu wash their hands with water and soap compared to 12 and 13 per cent in Nyeri and Mombasa respectively yet 97 per cent of the households in the country have access to soap.
Mr Eshuchi said that according to the organisation's findings, correct hand washing could help reduce cholera infections by 35-50 per cent and acute respiratory disease by 30 per cent.
"Correct and consistent use of soap while washing hands can help reduce cholera and diarrhoea related disease by a greater percentage and the department of public health and sanitation in World Bank is recommending for sustainable behaviour change in households," said Mr Eshuchi.
The launch of the programme comes at the right time when cholera has claimed at least 40 lives in Nyanza province in the past two months while several others were admitted in hospital.It has been estimated that treating a cholera patient costsat least Sh10,000.
"The project is a three-year programme targeting all households in the country especially areas that have not been targeted by other development organisations," said Mr Eshuchi.
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