Hand hygiene education vital for primary school kids

Initial Hygiene spokesperson and Foodsafe Freddie demonstrate to children of Belfast School, Christchurch how to wash their hands properly.

Initial Hygiene’s ‘Hands on Hygiene’ campaign launches this Foodsafe Week.

At the beginning of NZ’s annual Foodsafe Week, 9th to 15th November, 10,000 primary students around the country got hands on experience with hand hygiene thanks to Initial Hygiene’s ‘Hands on Hygiene’ programme.

As a Foodsafe Partnership member, Initial Hygiene launched this initiative to teach Kiwi kids about the importance of washing their hands.

The nationwide programme will be rolled out to 30 schools around the country and is backed by NZ Food Safety Authority’s Principal Adviser of Microbiology, Dr Roger Cook.

“NZ deals with 200,000 cases of food-borne illnesses each year, with 40 per cent occurring in the home. Something as simple as hand-washing can make a real difference in reducing these numbers,” says Dr Roger Cook.

As part of the programme, 10,000 primary school students will be given access to hand sanitiser, and posters with hand-washing tips will be put up around the schools.

“We’re going back to school to teach kids how to wash their hands properly to stop the spread of diseases,” says Geoff Polkinghorne, general manager of Initial Hygiene.

“We will be spreading the word about the 20+20 rule – washing hands with soap for 20 seconds then drying them for 20 seconds to ensure they are bacteria-free.

“Hand washing is a bit of a boring subject for kids, so we have come up with a variety of fun activities to interest and engage them – getting them excited about hand hygiene.

“Our ‘Hands on Hygiene’ programme is “kid friendly”, and speaks to them in a language they understand. This programme will encourage them to remember the important points and hopefully carry these behaviours into adulthood.”