By MATTHEW UKACHUNWA, Lagos
Only three in five (16 per cent) of Nigerians have access to basic handwashing facilities at home – leaving families and communities at risk of many infectious diseases, with children particularly vulnerable.
UNICEF voiced the concern in commemoration of year 2021 Global Handwashing Day.
The international authority on children’s well-being said that handwashing with soap is critical in the fight against infectious diseases, including Novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
UNICEF pointed out that globally, around 3 in 10 people – or 2.3 billion – do not have handwashing facilities with water and soap available at home.
It noted that the situation is worst in the least developed countries, with over 6 in 10 people without access to basic hand hygiene.
“Global response efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic have created an unprecedented time for hand hygiene. Yet progress remains far too slow for the most vulnerable, underserved communities,” UNICEF WASH Director Kelly Ann Naylor, said.
“Hand hygiene cannot be viewed as a temporary provision to manage COVID-19. Further long-term investment in water, sanitation and hygiene can help prevent the next health crisis from coming. It also means fewer people falling ill with respiratory infections, fewer children dying from diarrheal diseases, and more pregnant mothers and newborns protected from preventable conditions like sepsis.”
In a news statement dated 15th October 2021, UNICEF disclosed that the latest data showed that some progress had been achieved since 2015.
For example, it stated that the global population with access to basic hand hygiene at home has increased from 5 billion to 5.5 billion, or from 67 per cent to 71 per cent.
If current trends persist, UNICEF highlighted, 1.9 billion people will still not have access to basic hand hygiene by the end of the decade.
“In Nigeria, 21 per cent of Nigerians had access to basic handwashing facilities at home in 2018, compared to 16 per cent in 2019, indicating a worrying downward trend,” UNICEF Nigeria said in the news release.
While urging Nigerian authorities to provide adequate handwashing tools for the people, Rushnan Murtaza, Deputy Representative, UNICEF Nigeria, declared: “The downward trend in access to hand hygiene services in Nigeria is very worrying.
“Handwashing with soap and water may seem like a simple act – but it is lifesaving. It protects us from many diseases, including cholera. We must work together to make handwashing not only possible, but a habit. This will have a hugely positive impact for the health and well-being of all Nigerians.”
