HEALTH MATTERS 5TH MAY, 2026

Added: 2026-05-06

[00:00:00]Heat. Heat. N.

[00:00:05][music] >> [music] [music] >> Baby, [music] baby.

[00:00:30][music] >> [music] >> Good morning and welcome to Health Matters on EBS TV. I'm your host Pis Hagaladia.

[00:00:47]As we commemorate World Hand Hygiene Day with a theme action save lives, we are reminded that sometimes our heads does not really require um very hard solutions. Simple habits like washing of hands can actually help save lives and prevent the spread of setti infection and illnesses. Today we are going to be looking at the role of hand hygiene in disease prevention. We explore what hand hygiene is all about, how and when we should do it as well as how it can help save lives. These and more be looking at in today's episode. Stay with us.

[00:01:27][music] >> [music] >> You [music] know [music] you oh [music] yeah Welcome back. See you on health matters.

[00:02:04]Like I said, we'll be looking at the role of hand hygiene in disease prevention. With me on set is the chairman of Edo State primary healthc care development agency a good to have you join us.

[00:02:20]>> Good morning. Good morning viewer. When the name is doctor, I say >> Oh, thank you so much.

[00:02:27]>> All right. You know, we constantly hear about hand washing. We should wash our hands. Um cuz it only implies washing of hands with just soap and water or there's more to it that many of us do not understand.

[00:02:40]>> I think you are already answering the question. Hand washing as we want to refer to is a kind of a popularly call it do it yourself vac.

[00:02:57]>> Okay.

[00:02:58]>> Do it yourself vaccine like >> is one of those one of the most cost effective measure of preventing diseases and illnesses.

[00:03:11]>> Okay. you know as simple as hand washing.

[00:03:15]>> Okay.

[00:03:15]>> Now when we say hand washing we actually referring to you know the soap and water remain the go standard >> okay >> in hand wash but again how do you wash it?

[00:03:29]>> All right >> how do you apply the soap that there are steps you follow. Okay.

[00:03:34]>> Yes, there are steps we follow that will give you the the the the required benefit as regard uh the issue of hand washing.

[00:03:44]>> Okay.

[00:03:44]>> Sorry.

[00:03:45]>> Okay. All right. So, we're going to look at those steps which you just mentioned later on. But you said is same thing as washing of our hands with soap and water. Now, a lot of persons actually many people actually um substitute it for with um sanitizer. So how effective is it? Is it the same thing as using soap and water?

[00:04:04]>> Yes, sanitizer can do a lot of good but not as >> okay.

[00:04:10]>> Using soap and water. That's why I said soap and water is the gold standard.

[00:04:14]>> Okay.

[00:04:15]>> Now yes, majority of them is 60% alcohol based.

[00:04:21]>> Okay.

[00:04:22]>> And you can apply it when you don't have soap and water.

[00:04:25]>> Okay. When you don't have water.

[00:04:26]>> Yes. It's not really like a substitute to >> soap and water.

[00:04:31]>> Okay.

[00:04:31]>> Yes, there are some diseases that there are some infection that you can't that a normal sanitizer can't take care of.

[00:04:39]>> Okay.

[00:04:39]>> Something like the neuro viral, the cryptosperidium.

[00:04:42]>> Okay.

[00:04:43]>> You know, you can they can't take care of all these things. And that's what the soap and water does. It helps remove grease, dirt, you know, make sure everything that those like the the what I mention the neuroviral, the cryptosporidion, all of them, they are all removed from your hand and your hand will be clean. And after even using the soap and water, it just doesn't just end there. M >> you also need to you know get your hand dry with that clean tower or you air dry it >> air dry >> or you use your maybe your normal those um clean paper. Yes. you know that are dry because at the end of the day after washing with soap and water it could also be a mistake which people make at the end of because that hand will remain down >> and it becomes another medium again >> for uh reinfection >> okay >> because infection we always grow in a damp environment >> so when your hands you after washing your hand thoroughly following all the steps you scrub for 20 seconds and all of that and you you've refused to take care of the last part which is to get the hand well dried.

[00:05:59]>> You've still not done the right thing.

[00:06:01]>> Okay.

[00:06:01]>> Yes. You've still not done the right thing because at that stage you can you know pick up other infection which will you know grow in that your palm and the rest and begin to reinfect and the aim would have been defeated.

[00:06:13]>> All right. Thank you so much. So like um during our dayto-day activities as we go on for our day-to-day activities. So when is the right time for us to engage in hand hygiene that's washing our hands?

[00:06:25]>> Well, I think the well I would want to divide that into two.

[00:06:30]>> Okay.

[00:06:31]>> Before and after depending on what you are doing.

[00:06:33]>> Okay.

[00:06:34]>> For example, I just walk into this studio now. I had a handshake with you.

[00:06:39]>> Okay.

[00:06:40]>> Okay. Then if I leave this studio, I should wash my hand.

[00:06:43]>> Okay.

[00:06:45]That's after >> exactly.

[00:06:47]>> Now for example if uh let's say in the hospital setting I want to operate.

[00:06:56]>> Okay. Because I want to operate the patient.

[00:06:59]>> Okay.

[00:06:59]>> I have to wash my hand first.

[00:07:02]>> Because as a doctor there's what callogenic infection. I can infect the patient.

[00:07:07]>> Even though you're applying your glove.

[00:07:08]>> Yeah. You need to you have to wash your hand first.

[00:07:11]>> Wow. Now after the that's why I say before and after.

[00:07:15]>> Okay.

[00:07:15]>> Now after this the procedure itself I also have to wash my hands.

[00:07:20]>> Okay.

[00:07:20]>> Now if I want to examine patient okay let's for let's take the normal one what we what happen in our vial homes.

[00:07:28]>> Okay >> like uh you have a newborn baby >> and somebody just say oh please let me carry your baby. Before you carry that baby you're supposed to wash your hands >> no matter who you are.

[00:07:41]Whether you're a doctor, a nurse, a midwife, uh relative, the mother, you are supposed to wash your hand before you carry that baby because at that stage that baby is still does not have enough immunity.

[00:07:53]>> Okay?

[00:07:54]>> So you need to make sure your hands are clean before picking up that baby.

[00:07:58]>> Okay?

[00:07:58]>> Or before carrying the baby.

[00:08:00]>> Okay?

[00:08:00]>> Now that's on that. Now after the g you use the toilet, >> okay, which is very common. Okay. You see everybody go to public places. Oh, please where where is your convenience?

[00:08:14]You enter. Then after that you're supposed to wash your hands.

[00:08:17]>> Okay.

[00:08:18]>> When you don't do that. So it depending on what you actually doing. So the hand washing can either be before some event or after the event.

[00:08:30]>> Okay.

[00:08:30]>> Yes.

[00:08:31]>> Okay. Now you know many people are hearing about hand washing hand washing but not uh many people know the proper way to wash our hands. So can you walk us through the proper way to wash our hands? I know you make mention of um using your toy to dry your hand or using the hand dryer but apart from that are there ways that we should wash our hands.

[00:08:50]>> Yeah. Basically there are five steps that you need to follow.

[00:08:53]>> Okay.

[00:08:54]>> Yes. One of them is the first one you just you wet you you wet your hands with a running water.

[00:09:01]>> Okay.

[00:09:01]>> Then you not enter the second step by now apply the soap or you work on the letter.

[00:09:06]>> Okay. You know you apply it after the application the test step will be to scrub.

[00:09:12]>> Okay.

[00:09:13]>> So you scrub in the the the palm the back in between the your your fingers.

[00:09:23]>> Then your nails.

[00:09:24]>> Oh >> okay. You have to do all that.

[00:09:27]>> Okay.

[00:09:27]>> And this will be done within 20 seconds.

[00:09:30]>> Wow. 20 seconds.

[00:09:32]>> Then you now take your this your do those your hands. Now back to the a a running water again.

[00:09:41]>> Okay, >> which will either be in normal temperature or warm.

[00:09:44]>> Okay, >> you rinse it. That's the first stage.

[00:09:48]>> Okay, >> then after that you enter the last stage which is to what? Dry your those hands.

[00:09:54]>> Okay, >> and drying then you need a very clean towel.

[00:09:58]>> Okay, >> or you air dry, right? Or you use your in most home now you have your paper and the rest use it to dry your hands and then that would have completed the the steps in hand washing.

[00:10:15]>> Okay. So how does this simple habits of just washing our hands help prevent the spread of certain illnesses? Right. Uh I think the the statistics are there. By simple hand washing 30% of all the gastroenterities you suffer. If you people talking about diarrhea diarrhea by just washing your hand 30% of it would have been prevented.

[00:10:39]>> Okay.

[00:10:41]>> Then respiratory infection 20% would have been prevented.

[00:10:46]>> Wow.

[00:10:48]And there are others even when you don't have a clear staticism because everything we do your hands are always working.

[00:10:57]>> Okay. You want to eat, you want to touch your nose, you want to swallow something, you want you are preparing food. Like we go to restaurants now sometimes you have a color outbreak >> outbreak.

[00:11:08]>> And it could just be that one you know careless person who went to toilet got herself infected or infected cook for a large public before you know everybody is having cola.

[00:11:20]>> Okay. No, just imagine if that person know if the person have the habit or have learned the habit of having proper hand washing >> that will be prevented.

[00:11:30]>> Okay.

[00:11:31]>> You know then when during you remember when CO was >> the outbreak of CO >> then everybody started having this national policy international policy. Oh everybody wash your hands. Wash your hand because in all these viruses even where they any part of your body they are the the most the frequent way of infecting us is to use your hand to pick it. Either you put pass it through your nose or put it >> even our eyes >> their eyes every every part where you have the body flu can just you you things can penetrate through your body.

[00:12:11]Then at the end of the day we get ourselves infected. But if we now know how to do this hand washing properly most of these illnesses would have be you know a thing of the past. So what's exactly are the challenges that prevent people from having this uh proper hand hygiene? Like you rightly mentioned the time when we had COVID outbreak as see everybody we're so committed to hand washing like even the friend we walk into an establishment the first thing you say that go wash your hands but now now we see that it has reduced drastically like what exactly is the challenge that we have >> we the challenge is is in fact is multis sectoral >> okay >> you know started from the government, organization, private, individual, everything the the challenges are the just so massive that sometime you don't even know how to go there. Now yes there are there should be maybe we can't even say there are government policies where you should have uh uh hand washing uh bane in public places like hospital school >> market >> market and all but how often do we really find them >> okay >> that's already a problem because it's what you do that you get used to >> okay >> if for example no matter how uh uh conscious you may be in terms of her your seeking behavior. If you walk into EBS today and there's no place for you to wash your hand, you are going because you you open the door, you lock, you open, you lock and there's no place for you before two three week you get used to it >> and you stop washing your hands.

[00:14:01]>> Okay.

[00:14:02]>> So I think they show what we the problem that's why I say it just it cut across.

[00:14:09]It must be that conscious effort for us to continue to entrench this in in our day-today activity where everybody even a newborn baby we know that you need to wash your hand all the time.

[00:14:22]>> Okay.

[00:14:23]>> Especially after uh carrying out uh activity for example we touch animals.

[00:14:31]>> Exactly. We have >> you know we you touch you we have pets then you dispose waste you go to toilets you know in the hospital you touch patients you do all manner of things and yet >> sometime there's no uh running water >> okay in a place where you have running water sometime there's even no soap soap will not be available because you you can't wash your hand without soap with just running water and say you've done proper hand washing So sometime that's where our economy comes in when people are very poor. So poor that they cannot afford soap.

[00:15:12]It looks simple to afford soap and normal toilet soap. Yeah. Normal bar soap people may not be able to afford it.

[00:15:22]So and so if you look at it and when you if you are able to now have because when you don't have water there is no soap >> your hair promotion uh policy would have fail automatically.

[00:15:36]>> Okay. All right. And you know we also have this um individual um lifestyle that also contributes to them not um giving attention to hand hygiene. You know there's this popular saying among the African man like let me use the way they say it like they not the key African man. So how does that even contribute to people not taking their hand hygiene seriously especially in Edo state and Nigeria?

[00:16:07]>> Yeah. Well I think it boils down to what I mentioned before. It's about habit.

[00:16:12]>> Okay.

[00:16:13]>> This why do we even call it habit? You see some person now because if they don't smoke they can't go to toilet >> because it's something that is now part of me when people now begin to speak like that the man does not care an African man because she's the person has learned to live without washing hands >> okay >> so and so many things would have occur you would have they would have suffered diarrhea in the family you know waste their lean resources going to hospital, you know, having respiratory infection all the time, but they don't see it as the they don't see not washing hand as the root cause.

[00:16:54]>> They don't see it because they don't even have the data. They don't have the statistics. They don't even know. So they assume what h whatever illness would have you know be the family or before the family at that point time was natural. They are unable to trace it to their own poor habit. Okay.

[00:17:15]>> So I think that's where the media like what you are doing now the health workers government which is the policy maker now at that level of the legislation the level of the executive that we ensure that the laws you know are implemented then fund our release.

[00:17:39]>> Okay.

[00:17:40]>> Everybody must work together. Okay.

[00:17:43]>> You know, and again the those that the the hair promoters >> everybody must work together to ensure that we have a proper hide uh washing uh habit. You know that will be entre in the across the sphere of our life from the young the middle class you know middle age the elderly everybody just learning it becomes part of all it becomes a routine >> okay >> that you cannot even if you even wake up the next thing you want to do is to go and wash your hands >> okay all right so now talking about I want you to emphasize more on the individual aspect individual role You know because sometimes when you go out you are in the public area and you are trying to like wash your hands or like oh are you the one that is so are you like you are feeling that you're so neat or this stuff they tend to like look down on that particular person. So what do you have to say to these people out there who believe that you don't really have to like wash your hands often you you're an Africa you are a Nigerian person and you don't have to start acting up especially areas >> stand right even if you >> okay >> now if you are the only person doing the right thing continue doing it and make sure because a time will come you you are a robo death to so many places >> some you don't even know you they they unknown to you. They are looking at you.

[00:19:17]It just for you to continue to do it and people now begin to okay emulate your whole lifestyle because that's a way of promoting health and in doing it you can't see you you you that have the right knowledge and you are doing it. I don't think those who don't know what to do should be the one you know influencing you. You should you should do the you should continue to do it. You should continue to preach.

[00:19:45]That's where advocacy comes in and every other person because when we if you like today people watching television they not hear about this topic. If they had someone they were probably even they bullied because of his positive hseeking behavior.

[00:20:06]>> Yes.

[00:20:06]>> They will have to to it down.

[00:20:08]>> Exactly. from this moment they will. So, so what what I will advise is that program like this should be a continuous one.

[00:20:17]>> Okay.

[00:20:18]>> It should also been on radio other sister agencies like other uh media houses should emulate what EBS is doing now. And thank God we have a uh the right man in place now as the executive governor of the state who >> who who who who cares about heavy dolight and wants to ensure that we have you know a better head because the he is one person who is fighting vigorously to ensure that the the the health indices of the state is you know remain the benchmark for the nation. So and in doing this if we if we live with this I think in uh before we know it we will just have you know a state that will be free from all the negative narrative of oh you are the Mr. Clean because yes we want to be the Mr. clean. Even Bible rightly put it, >> cleaniness is linked to godliness. So why can't we just keep our clean, wash our hands regularly, make sure our surroundings are clean, keep our home clean and then you we are I know from my from the beginning I said it's a form of vaccine. So at the end of the day you just >> safe vac.

[00:21:31]>> Yes. Do it yourself vaccine. Then at the end of the day you are promoting head immunity because when you are heady she's heady the other man is heady automatically going to benefit from it. Then we have a better society. That's just what it is.

[00:21:47]>> All right. Thank you so much. Um your final words to our viewers out there. So just like in um one sentence what is the importance of maintaining proper hand IG? You want to um tell someone they see this? The importance is it improve your individual health in turn improve the health of the group of people improve the health of the society your community the state and as well as the nation and which will eventually spread to the entire world.

[00:22:25]>> All right. Thank you so much. It's been a lovely time with you on s like to commemorate to the world hand hygiene day. Don't forget that this change starts with you and this simple heart of hand washing can actually help prevent illnesses. So we come your way next week is health matters. Goodbye.

[00:22:45][music]