MaximsNewsNetwork: GUINEA: CHOLERA, WATER PURIFICATION & CHILD HEALTH (UNICEF)

MaximsNewsNetwork: 19 March 2010 - UNICEF: Guinea - Following a recurrent outbreak of cholera, UNICEF and its partners are supporting a water treatment programme that ensures that the purifying agent chlorine becomes part of the daily life of households to promote hygiene and a better health; only 42 cases of cholera were reported in 2009 compared to some 8,500 in 2007.

In the past some 54,000 children under the age of five die in Guinea each year and it is hoped that these health programmes will reduce child deaths by two-thirds in the year 2015.

The efforts include water purification and public awareness campaigns to improve good hygiene practices such as hand washing that is taught in the schools.

Thousands of bottles of chlorine have been sold, or given for free during periods of high epidemic risk.

SOUNDBITE (French) Aboubacar Camara, NGO Tinkisso Coordinator:
Chlorine can be used in several ways. It can be used to disinfect water, food, the dishes, and also for cleaning wounds, in health centers.

SOUNDBITE (French) Sefanta Souare, Mother:
When we didnt use chlorine, children use to have diarrheas, and belly aches as well, but since we started dropping it in the water, the diarrheas ceased.

SOUNDBITE (French) Mamadou Lamarana Diallo, Boubere School Principal:
Water alone cannot clean your hands, you have to use a detergent like soap.

SOUNDBITE (French) Mamadou Oury Bah, UNICEF Head of Zone Office Guinea:

A child who learns about good hygiene practices early, adopts them easily, and it also means that in the future we wont need to invest in changing the unhealthy behaviors of the adults, as we do today.
................................................................................­................................ ( UNITED NATIONS CHILDRENS FUND: UNICEF TELEVISION ) ................................................................................­........................................................ MaximsNewsNetwork:
News Network for the United Nations and the International Community.
See: http://www.MaximsNews.com.
"GIVING POWER & RESONANCE TO THE VOICE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY" ................................................................................­......................................................

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Guinea
• United Nations Childrens Fund
• UNICEF
• water purification
• cholera
• MaximsNews Network
• MaximsNewsWATER
• Aboubacar Camara
• NGO Tinkisso
• chlorine
• disinfect
• French
• diarrheal diseases
• Mamadou Oury Bah