Red Cross sensitizes Nasarawa residents on hygiene against cholera

The Nasarawa State branch of the Nigerian Red Cross Society in collaboration with the Nasarawa State Waste Management And Sanitation Authority on Friday embarked on a sensitisation campaign against Cholera and other diseases.

Cholera is an infectious disease that causes severe watery diarrhoea, which can lead to dehydration and even death if not treated.
Speaking during the sensitisation campaign in Lafia, the State Branch Secretary of Red Cross, Jerry Kuje, said the programme was in commemoration of the 2023 World Red Cross Day, tagged ‘FromTheHeart’.
He said that the organisation decided to sensitise the residents on the importance of personal and environmental hygiene to teach them how to prevent diseases to enable them to enjoy good health.
“We are aware that cholera, diarrhoea, malaria and other diseases spread very fast in dirty environments. Many people have lost their lives to these diseases, and the only way we can completely eradicate them is by keeping ourselves and our environments clean at all times.
“The aim of personal and environmental hygiene is to prevent diseases. When the environment is polluted with toxic waste, it can make children and even adults fall sick, and that is what we are trying to prevent by embarking on this sensitisation campaign.”

On her part, the Head of Southern Senatorial Zone of the Nasarawa State Waste Management And Sanitation Authority, Zainab Ahmed, decried the nonchalant attitude of some residents of the state who deliberately dump refuse in restricted locations in the state, warning that such behaviours will no longer be condoned by the agency.

According to her, “The reason we are making efforts to talk to our people to practise personal and environmental hygiene is that we don’t want them to fall sick or die young from the numerous diseases that affect people, especially cholera. So, we don’t want to joke about it. We cannot afford to keep losing our children and other relatives to diseases that are preventable”, she added.

The sensitisation programme featured demonstrations on how to keep the surroundings clean ; sweep the surroundings, evacuate refuse, washing of hands, etc.