By Zaya Williams

A critical personal hygiene campaign has been launched in schools across the island, spearheaded by a collaborative effort involving UNICEF, the Central Board of Health (CBH), and the Ministry of Health.

The campaign’s primary objective is to teach students the correct methods of handwashing and appropriate manners for coughing and sneezing.

Julienne Mannix, the Senior Health Inspector at the Central Board of Health (CBH), stressed the importance of the campaign, stating, “We have observed that people are still coughing and sneezing inappropriately, often in their hands, and there is no hand washing taking place immediately afterward.

By coughing in your hands, you can easily spread germs.”

Over the next two weeks, teams will visit four schools each day. These schools will receive essential supplies, including single-use tissues, liquid soap, and pedal bins.

In addition, students will be taught proper techniques such as coughing into a bent elbow or using a single-use tissue, disposing of it immediately, and then washing their hands.

If a tissue is not available, students will be taught to cough or sneeze inside their clothing.

The campaign includes a 30-minute interactive presentation for students in one preschool, 14 primary schools, and 15 secondary schools.

These presentations aim to promote good hand-washing practices and instil the importance of adhering to proper coughing and sneezing etiquette.

The personal hygiene campaign began on Tuesday, marking the start of an essential effort to teach healthy habits among students and raise awareness about the prevention of germ transmission.