LASG, Hypo Sensitise Lagos Residents On Environmental Hygyiene

By Chioma Obinna AS the Nigeria battles with outbreak of meningitis
and Lassa fever, the Lagos State Ministry of Health
(LSMoH) and Lagos State Ministry of Environment
(LSMoE), teamed up with leading hygiene solution
brand, Hypo, to sensitise the public on household
and environment hygiene as a preventive measure against diseases. The exercise tagged: “Team Up to Clean UP”
which was part of activities to mark this year’s
World Health Day, had the management of Hypo,
representatives of the LSMoH and LSMoE, as well
as residents of Ebute Metta and its environs,
participate in the clean up exercise as they cleared the streets and drainages in the community to
enhance their wellbeing. SANITATION EXERCISE: Residents of Simpson Street, Ebute Metta with the Hypo Clean Up Team clearing gutters during the Hypo Team Up to Clean Up environmental exercise on World Health Day in Lagos. A recent report by the World Health Organisation
estimated that 12.6 million people died as a result of
living or working in an unhealthy environment in
2012 – nearly one quarter of total global deaths.
The Report, titled: “Preventing disease through
healthy environments” further found that these deaths could be prevented through better
environmental management. In a chat with Good Health Weekly during the
exercise, Jadesola Surakat, Brand Manager, Hypo
said the campaign which is the secoond in series,
was primarily aimed at fulfilling the corporate social
responsibility Hypo has towards the society and
repositioning the brand from the perceived state of just a whitening agent to a total hygiene solution. “If a place is dirty, insects could carry the diseases
and infect everyone. Also if the water system is not
clean, diseases can easily spread. Although there
are a lot of factors that could be involve in the
spreading of diseases, the environment is one of
the major factors to be taken into consideration,” she added. The Assistant Director, Health Education Unit,
LSMoH, Mrs. Olubunmi Ilawole said: “We have
had a lot of outbreak of diseases like Ebola, Lassa
fever, and this is due to unclean environment. Our
environment matters to our wellbeing. When the
drainages are not flowing, it tends to generate more dirt and bacteria breed in them. We also
have other water borne diseases such as
diarrhoea, cholera, and the recent meningitis all
caused by dirty environment. People don’t really
know what is going on in their environment that is
why we are going round sensitizing people and calling on everybody to come out and keep their
surroundings clean to avoid further diseases from
ravaging our communities,” she added.