Tagbilaran Media Bureau reports city’s events and information
Mayor John Geesnell Yap II
Tagb set to launch HKK campaign
The truth is that millions of lives can be saved through proper handwashing.
It is a fact that 1.6 million people died from diarrhea in 2017; 2.5 million people also died of pneumonia in the same year, and sadly, one-third of the deaths caused by the said diseases were children under 5 years old.
These deaths could have been prevented through hand washing with soap and water.
According to Dr. Myriam Sidibe, a global handwashing expert, washing of hands with soap and water, a habit that we all take for granted, can reduce diarrhea incidence by half, can reduce risk of respiratory infections by one third, and can have an impact of reducing flu, trachoma, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Ebola virus infection and cholera.
Handwashing can save at least 600,000 children‘s lives every year, Sidibe said.
Moreover, with the Coronavirus disease (Covid) pandemic, washing of hands with soap and water is a literal lifesaver.
In this connection, City Mayor John Geesnell Yap II said that proper handwashing with soap and water should be an indispensable part of our lives.
“Studies have shown that handwashing with soap and water remains to be the safest and an inexpensive method to combat the spread of the Covid virus and other diseases. Even without the pandemic, all of us should make proper handwashing part of our daily routine”, Yap emphasized.
In order to drumbeat the importance of handwashing, the City Government will launch an advocacy campaign dubbed as “Hunaw Kontra Kagaw“ (HKK).
The campaign is set to be unveiled on Feb. 17, 2021, via a blended launch in the City Hall Atrium and via Zoom.
The campaign is in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development-Strengthening Urban Resilience, Growth and Equity (USAID- SURGE) project, the Coca-Cola Foundation, and the Bohol Integrated Development Foundation (BIDEF).
Furthermore, the launch will feature the thrust of the advocacy campaign which centers on information dissemination about the importance of handwashing and how to make it a daily habit.
Likewise, handwashing stations are currently being installed in the public markets in Tagbilaran City. The campaign will run from February 17 to March 31, 2021 where information will be spread through digital posters, radio plugs, and informational videos.
The installation of handwashing facilities will reinforce the call of the City Government to institutionalize good hygiene and handwashing practices.