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Promoting hand hygiene: Sanitisers not complete replacement for soap
Frequent hand washing has been identified as the cheapest, easiest, most important and effective way to stay clean and safe from bacteria and viruses driven diseases.
Between soap and hand sanitisers, many are, however, left confused over which one serves a better purpose in dealing with bacteria or virus.
Addressing this concern, a Public Health Practitioner, Mr William Anku, says in general, both hand washing with soap and water and hand sanitisers, when done correctly, can be effective at killing most germs and pathogens.
Speaking with The Spectator in an interview, Mr Anku, who also doubles as a Technical Support Officer with the Ghana AIDS Commission, Ho Technical Support Unit, said among the two, sanitisers can be less effective against some microorganisms and do not physically remove dirt, grease or certain chemicals.
He said while alcohol based hand sanitisers were useful when soap and water were not readily available, they should not be considered a complete replacement for proper hand washing.
Mr Anku said a sanitiser containing at least 60 per cent alcohol could rapidly reduce many types of harmful microorganisms on the hand.
He, however, elaborated that people with visibly dirty or greasy hands should wash them with soap and running water because sanitiser could not physically remove the dirt or grease.
“When hands are visibly dirty or greasy, soap and water are preferable,” he mentioned.
Mr Anku advised people using sanitisers to apply enough to cover all surfaces of the hands and rub them together until completely dry, stressing that soap helped loosen dirt, oils, microorganisms and other contaminants from the skin so they could be rinsed away.
“Water alone can remove some visible dirt and a portion of microorganisms, but it is considerably less effective than washing with soap,” heunderlined.
He urged the public to wash hands with soap and running water after using the toilet, before preparing or eating food, after coughing or sneezing, after caring for a sick person and whenever the hands were visibly dirty.
Mr Anku also drew attention to the importance of drying hands after washing, saying wet hands could transfer microorganisms easily than dry hands.
He recommended clean, disposable paper towels, particularly in healthcare facilities and public settings. Where reusable cloth towels were used, he said they should be clean and changed regularly.
He added that properly maintained air dryers could also be used.
On whether warm water was better than cold water for hand washing, Mr Anku noted that the temperature of the water was not the most important factor.
He explained that cold, lukewarm or warm running water could all be used, stressing that using soap, rubbing adequately, rinsing thoroughly and drying properly were more important.
He cautioned against using excessively hot water because it could irritate or damage the skin.
Again, Mr Anku mentioned that people should scrub all surfaces of their hands with soap for at least 20 seconds before rinsing thoroughly with running water.
He said rushing through the process could result in some areas of the hands being missed.
He suggested that people could sing “Happy Birthday” twice at a normal pace while scrubbing to help achieve the recommended duration, noting that the choice of song was not important but the time spent rubbing was.
He also cautioned that frequent hand washing, repeated use of alcohol based sanitisers, harsh soaps and very hot water could cause dryness, irritation, cracking or dermatitis, particularly among people with sensitive skin.
He advised the public to use mild soaps, avoid excessively hot water and apply moisturising hand cream or lotion regularly, especially after washing.
Mr Anku says washing hands for too short a time was one of the common mistakes people made.
Others included failing to cover the entire hand with soap, forgetting the backs of the hands, spaces between the fingers, thumbs and underneath the fingernails.
Furthermore, he mentioned rinsing immediately without adequate rubbing, failing to dry the hands properly, touching contaminated surfaces immediately after washing and using too little sanitiser.
“Effective hand hygiene is not simply about putting soap or sanitiser on the hands; the technique matters,” he stressed.
Mr Anku urged the public to make hand hygiene part of everyday life, saying the seemingly small action could have a significant impact on public health.
“Hand hygiene may seem like a small action, but collectively it can prevent a significant amount of illness and protect entire communities,” he indicated.
ODORGONNO Senior High School (SHS) has won the maiden 2026 Senior High School Plastic Waste Reuse Innovation Awards, organised among five SHSs in Accra to promote plastic waste recycling and reuse.
Odorgonno SHS received a cash prize of GH¢8,000 after securing 97 points. Accra Senior High School placed second with 96 points and received GH¢4,000, while O’Reilly SHS placed third with 90 points and received GH¢2,000.
Forces Senior High Technical School placed fourth with 83 points, while St John’s Grammar SHS came fifth with 72 points. Both schools received GH¢1,000 each as cash prizes.
Outstanding students from the participating school clubs were also recognised with gold medals and certificates. St John’s Grammar SHS received five plastic recovery cages as the school with the highest volume of recovered plastic waste.
The awards formed part of the CSIR-Institute of Industrial Research (CSIR-IIR) Schools Plastics Recovery Project, an initiative aimed at promoting plastic waste recovery, responsible environmental practices and the productive use of recovered materials.
The project included educational campaigns in all five participating schools, the provision of metal cages for plastic source segregation, an educational excursion to a Miniplast recycling factory and a plastics challenge that encouraged innovative reuse of plastic waste.
The Project Lead and Senior Research Scientist at CSIR-IIR, Dr Boniface Yeboah Antwi, said the project demonstrated how young people could become active contributors to solving Ghana’s environmental challenges while providing financial incentives to sustain their efforts.
He said when schools generated income from recovered materials, they could support the maintenance of collection infrastructure, reinforce responsible waste management and instil an entrepreneurial mindset in students.
Dr Antwi explained that within the first month, the participating schools recovered 1.5 tonnes, or 1,500 kilogrammes, of plastic waste—equivalent to the weight of approximately 15,000 one-litre water bottles.
He said the recovery generated GH¢2,000 in revenue for the schools, demonstrating that plastic waste could become a source of value rather than an environmental burden.
The Group Head of General Operations at OmniBSIC Bank, Mr Dominic Donkoh, urged the participating schools to sustain their plastic waste segregation, collection and sales activities.
He said the proceeds could support school environmental clubs and other worthwhile initiatives while providing students with practical lessons in saving, budgeting and responsible financial management.
“We encourage students to apply the financial literacy lessons acquired during this engagement. Learn to manage the proceeds from your recycling activities responsibly, appreciate the importance of saving, and explore innovative ways to create both environmental and financial value,” he added.
–GNA
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Parents have been urged to prioritise girls’ education over early marriage to protect them from losing their childhood, education and opportunities for a better future.
The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Girl Child Coordinator, Madam Margaret Blay, said child marriage disrupted girls’ education, threatened their health and well-being, and limited their ability to realise their full potential.
“Keep her in school, not in a man’s house,” she urged parents, stressing the need for families and communities to protect girls’ right to education and personal development.
She made the call in a welcome address at the 2026 celebration of the International Day of the Girl Child in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, held under the theme: “End Child Marriage and Invest in Girls’ Rights.”
Madam Blay said ending child marriage required collective action from parents, teachers, traditional leaders, government institutions and communities to ensure that girls were protected and given the opportunity to pursue their aspirations.
She noted that child marriage often forced girls out of school before they were physically, emotionally and socially prepared for the responsibilities associated with marriage.
She said investing in girls’ rights was not merely a moral obligation but also an investment in the future of communities and the nation.
According to her, girls who remained in school, had their voices heard and received the necessary support could grow into leaders, professionals, innovators and active contributors to national development.
Madam Blay called on teachers to protect girls’ access to education, create supportive learning environments and empower them to express themselves confidently.
She also appealed to traditional leaders to help address harmful cultural practices and social norms that denied girls opportunities to develop their potential.
The government and relevant institutions, she said, must strengthen the enforcement of child protection laws to ensure that every girl received adequate protection.
She further urged communities to speak out against child marriage, report cases and work together to create safe environments where girls could learn, grow and thrive.
Madam Blay said every girl deserved the freedom to dream, acquire an education and determine her own future.
She expressed the hope that the celebration would strengthen stakeholders’ collective resolve to end child marriage and invest in the rights, education and future of every girl.
Madam Karen Ama Moses, Assembly Member for the Takoradi Railway and Harbour Electoral Area, said keeping girls in school would lead to enlightened mothers, well-informed families, resilient communities and, ultimately, a better Ghana.
She stressed that no child should be forced into marriage, adding that “every child must have the freedom to learn, grow, dream and choose her future.”
Some of the schoolchildren expressed concern that their parents did not always listen to their concerns during difficult times, while others said some children were exposed to abuse and early marriage.
Madam Henrietta Quabu, the Metropolitan School Health Coordinator, urged children experiencing abuse or any situation that threatened their well-being to report to the police, the Department of Social Welfare, the media, their teachers or the Metropolitan Education Directorate for assistance.
— GNA
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