Scaling up school health and hygiene to prevent pandemics and epidemics

Projektkurzbeschreibung

Title: Scaling up school health and hygiene to prevent pandemics and epidemics
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Kenya
Lead executing agency: Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation
Overall term: 2011 to 2013

Context

Kenya experienced outbreaks of H1N1 influenza in 2010, and remains at high risk of avian flu epidemics. In addition, Kenya is increasingly prone to seasonal and periodic outbreaks of influenza, cholera, measles, polio and other infectious diseases which are of concern for public health. Children are especially susceptible, and they contribute to the rapid spread of infectious diseases through the densely populated environments of schools and family networks. This makes school health projects an important entry point for public health education and health promotion.

Objectiv

School children and their households observe the rules of personal hygiene and know about their importance in preventing diseases.

Approach

Handwashing with soap is the single most effective intervention for preventing infectious diseases, because it interrupts their transmission from one infected person to another. Studies suggest that washing one’s hands with soap after using the toilet, before preparing food, and before eating can reduce the incidence of diarrhoea by up to 47%, and results in a reduction of up to 30% in respiratory infections. Interventions to provide safe water and promote hygiene in Kenyan schools have had a significant impact on preventing infections and transmission of diarrhoea, cholera and other sanitation and hygiene-related diseases.

To implement a comprehensive school health approach in Kenya, inter-sectoral teams with personnel from the Ministries of Public Health and Education are working closely with district teams. Each school community, including the teachers and community health workers, makes its own decisions about which interventions for safe water and hygiene to prioritise, and they receive support for their implementation. These activities are complemented by the introduction of new health education curriculums, the creation of school health clubs, and the building of improved hygiene and sanitation facilities in schools.

On behalf of BMZ, the project is supported by the German Pandemic Preparedness Initiative of GIZ.