NAN-HG-15
Hygiene
By Temitope Salami
Ijebu-Ode (Ogun), Feb. 15, 2017 (NAN) A physician, Dr Wellington Ogunsanya, has urged residents of Ijebu-Ode to maintain personal and environmental hygiene as a preventive measure against communicable diseases.
Ogunsanya, who is the Medical Director, Olu-Ola Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, gave this advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun.
He said personal hygiene and clean environment should be given the deserved priority by residents by preventing the occurrence or outbreak of diseases associated with sanitary conditions.
Ogunsanya, who is also a consultant surgeon, said safeguarding and maintaining public health, was imperative to prevent disease outbreaks and epidemics.
He highlighted food safety as an area that had been ignored and underestimated despite its importance to the overall well-being of the populace.
“Food safety is an aspect of nutrition that has been ignored or underestimated; It is about food being free from contamination in the production cycle from inception till it gets to its end-users.
“These include, harvesting of crops, rearing of animals, processing, storage and distribution.
“That the food could easily get contaminated through this processes underscores the need for government to ensure that food safety ethics are imbibed by all,” he said.
The medical practitioner said that government must encourage, regulate and enforce food safety regulations among stakeholders by taking drastic measures.
“Stakeholders such as food vendors, can be sensitised and trained regularly on the ways to properly handle foods,” he said.
He also warned against drinking unwholesome sachet water, saying not all of them were authorised or passed through standard purification procedures as generally believed.
Ogunsanya urged the people to continue to imbibe the habit of sanitary practices such as hands washing after visiting the toilets and before eating.
“Everyone has a responsibility to support government’s efforts to ensure good health for all and to make our nation’s environment clean and safe,” he added. (NAN)
TDS/DE/YEMI
Edited by Dorcas Jonah/Yemi Idris-Aduloju