Okwe Obi, Abuja

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to celebrate the Global Hand Washing Day, Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman Adamu, has pledged the Federal Government’s determination to ensure sufficient water availability.

Global Hand-Washing Day is celebrated on October 15 every year. It started in 2008 when it was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.

The theme for this year’s event is: ‘Clean Hand: A Recipe for Health.’

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It is a global advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding the importance of hand washing with soap as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases.

Adamu, while addressing journalists recently, in Abuja, appealed to Nigerians to increase the tempo of hand washing to prevent Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), such as river blindness, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, soil transmitted helminthes and schistodomiasis.

He disclosed that hand washing with soap is estimated to reduce deaths from diarrhea by almost half and deaths from acute respiratory infections by a quarter.

“Hand washing with soap is a vital part of cooking, eating and feeding others,” he advised.