BRAC University and the International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) co-sponsored a seminar on the H1N1 virus (popularly known as the swine flu) this Thursday. Scholars and health professionals gathered at Swine Flu: Global and Local Perspective to emphasize the importance of preventative measures and education to curb the potential for H1N1 outbreaks. The participants agreed that preventative hygienic actions are crucial, particularly in the developing world.
More than 10,000 cases of swine flu have officially been reported to the WHO in 41 countries as of Wednesday.
Dr. Stephen P Luby, head of Program for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Sciences Division (PIDVS), ICDDR,B, underscored the need for individuals be mindful of simple hygienic practices. "In order to prevent any potential outbreak in Bangladesh, people must improve their respiratory hygiene – by sneezing into their elbows instead of into their hands or into the air, practice social distancing, wash hands often throughout the day with soap and water, and refrain from smoking as it impairs respiratory systems."
If the suggestions sound like the most basic hygienic advice, it is because they are. The unfortunate situation in most developing countries is that these practices are still not widespread, and because of poor infrastructure it is difficult to communicate such important messages to a large audience. And while the swine flu is the latest health concern to grip global attention, developing countries have long had to deal with outbreaks or over-prevalence of diseases that can be easily contained or treated.
In Bangladesh, BRAC has had tremendous success in putting forth a model to deal with the problems of poor communication, infrastructure, and medical resources. Our community health volunteers have been encouraging and teaching healthy practices in rural villages of Bangladesh since 1977; most of the women are residents of the villages themselves, and are easily able to relay information from BRAC’s central health offices to their neighbors. Today, over 70,000 all-female community health volunteers—Shasthya Shebikas, or Shebikas—reach more than 92 million people in all 64 districts of Bangladesh. Shebikas make up one of the largest national-scale community health volunteer programs in the world.
And one of BRAC’s health programs is the Water, Sanitation, and Health program (WASH), which was started in 2006 with the aim of providing hygiene education for 37.5 million people. Promoting the same practices that prevent the spread of swine flu, WASH uses the Shebikas to reach community people, and BRAC concurrently works to improve water supplies and sanitation services in their homes and their schools.
The direct-contact spread of the virus accentuates the collective responsibility of individuals to maintain basic hygiene. With the Shebika model successfully replicated in Afghanistan and Uganda, we are hopeful that our community-driven, continuous educational programming will prevent situations such as the swine flu outbreak from getting out of control in the places we work.
More than 10,000 cases of swine flu have officially been reported to the WHO in 41 countries as of Wednesday.
Dr. Stephen P Luby, head of Program for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Sciences Division (PIDVS), ICDDR,B, underscored the need for individuals be mindful of simple hygienic practices. "In order to prevent any potential outbreak in Bangladesh, people must improve their respiratory hygiene – by sneezing into their elbows instead of into their hands or into the air, practice social distancing, wash hands often throughout the day with soap and water, and refrain from smoking as it impairs respiratory systems."
If the suggestions sound like the most basic hygienic advice, it is because they are. The unfortunate situation in most developing countries is that these practices are still not widespread, and because of poor infrastructure it is difficult to communicate such important messages to a large audience. And while the swine flu is the latest health concern to grip global attention, developing countries have long had to deal with outbreaks or over-prevalence of diseases that can be easily contained or treated.
In Bangladesh, BRAC has had tremendous success in putting forth a model to deal with the problems of poor communication, infrastructure, and medical resources. Our community health volunteers have been encouraging and teaching healthy practices in rural villages of Bangladesh since 1977; most of the women are residents of the villages themselves, and are easily able to relay information from BRAC’s central health offices to their neighbors. Today, over 70,000 all-female community health volunteers—Shasthya Shebikas, or Shebikas—reach more than 92 million people in all 64 districts of Bangladesh. Shebikas make up one of the largest national-scale community health volunteer programs in the world.
And one of BRAC’s health programs is the Water, Sanitation, and Health program (WASH), which was started in 2006 with the aim of providing hygiene education for 37.5 million people. Promoting the same practices that prevent the spread of swine flu, WASH uses the Shebikas to reach community people, and BRAC concurrently works to improve water supplies and sanitation services in their homes and their schools.
The direct-contact spread of the virus accentuates the collective responsibility of individuals to maintain basic hygiene. With the Shebika model successfully replicated in Afghanistan and Uganda, we are hopeful that our community-driven, continuous educational programming will prevent situations such as the swine flu outbreak from getting out of control in the places we work.
thanks for providing informative blog and now a days swine flu is a big issue i hope we will solve this issue quickly.
ReplyDeletePeople with regular exposure to pigs are at increased risk of swine flu. More than 1100 people worldwide have died from swine flu since it emerged in Mexico and the US in April, according to the latest figures from the World.
ReplyDeleteAmanda
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