In a bid to ensure children's good health during the new school year, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has reminded parents and teachers to pay special attention to the practice of handwashing among school-going children. 

“Proper and regular handwashing is essential for children as it ensures hygiene and averts infection,” said Dr Mohamed Rahmathulla Shafeeq, Assistant Executive Director of Infection Prevention and Control at HMC. 

Dr Shafeeq emphasized that children must wash their hands after using bathrooms, before and after eating food and after getting back from the playground. 

“Proper and regular handwashing at school and outside keeps children free of infection," he said, adding "schools should have proper facilities that help students easily wash their hands and maintain proper hygiene."

School authorities should also ensure the availability of washing sinks and liquid soap, he said. 

"We recommend liquid soaps as soap bars cause infection to be transmitted from an infected child to others while it’s used for handwashing,” the HMC physician said.

He also mentioned that sinks should be placed in a location that is easily accessible for all students.

Additionally, paper napkins should be made available and children asked to make use of them after washing hands. “Possibility of infection is high if the hands remain wet,” he pointed out. 

Dr Shafeeq further said that some children fail to get enough time to meet handwashing and hygiene requirements, in which case he urged school authorities to ensure adequate break time is available to accommodate this important practice. 

“Inadequacy of time can create inconvenience for students and this should be addressed. And all students should be given bathroom break if they demand it during class time,” he said.

Dr Shafeeq further asked parents to encourage personal hygiene measures among their children.

“Children should be asked to take regular baths and brush teeth. And they should be sent to school with cleaned washed clothes,” he said. 

Furthermore, Dr Shafeeq emphasized the need for school authorities to regularly clean and maintain water cooler dispensers and air conditioning units to ensure they do not transmit anything harmful.

Studies have shown that school children's absenteeism rates due to sickness and illnesses are reduced by almost 40 percent with these precautions, he mentioned.

Since the beginning of the new academic year in Qatar a little over a week ago, HMC has been bringing to light some important aspects connected with the good health and wellbeing of children going to school. 

Recently, HMC had shared some tips with the public on what an ideal school bag should be like as well as some tips to ensure road safety of child pedestrians.

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Source: Gulf Times