October 15, 2020: The provision of safe water, sanitation and hygienic conditions is essential to protecting human health during all infectious disease outbreaks, including the COVID-19 outbreak.

A webinar on ‘Hand Hygiene for All’ was jointly organized by Centre for Participatory Action and Social Support (CPASS) and Department of Social Welfare, Kamrup District in association with NSS Cell of Gauhati University on October 15 as part of the Global Hand Washing Day.

Rubul Sarma, District social welfare officer emphasized about the need to organize this kind of webinar to sensitize particularly the front line workers and students who are rendering social services to mothers and children and the people in general. He also welcomed all the resource persons and the participants for a fruitful discourse.

Addressing the webinar as resource person, Anand Shekhar, eminent sanitation expert from New Delhi said that Initiatives targeting hand washing behaviour are complex and are based on several promotional elements that have been adapted to the local context. Mr Shekhar also enlightened the participants about the scenario of hygiene in India and told that hand hygiene is extremely important to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. It also interrupts transmission of other viruses and bacteria causing common colds, flu and pneumonia, thus reducing the general burden of disease.

Dr Mousumi Krisnatreya, associate professor, Gauhati Medical College deliberated as the  resource person on the topic Hand hygiene and mothers and child health.

Dr. Ranjan Kr. Kakati, Director, Students’ Welfare, Gauhati University appealed to all the participants for making awareness about proper hand washing to reach out all the citizens of the country for maintaining a healthy environment.