Dettol launches campaign to slash diarrhoea in SA by 50% by 2027
Covid-19 has helped to reinforce the message of handwashing in order to ward off harmful germs. Dettol will take even further to ensure handwashing becomes an entrenched habit as it strives towards realising the dream of a 50% reduction of diarrhoea cases in the country by 2027.
Covid-19 may have been a terrible curse on human lives, but it was also a blessing in disguise as it reinforced the hygiene message of constantly washing one’s hands to ward-off harmful germs.
The launch of Dettol’s Mzansi Protect, described as ‘an immediately actionable initiative’ by Dettol, has an ambitious target of slashing the burden of diarrhoea in the country by 50% by 2027.
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While the nation may have internalised the message to wash hands during Covid-19, there is a compelling case for continued education about good hand hygiene as a simple and effective action to prevent illness and diseases, said Reckitt regional director and general manager Ioannis Dostas.
With the Stats SA General Household Survey of 2020 showing that 42% of South Africans don’t wash their hands with soap and water, the need to drive handwashing education becomes even more imperative, Dostas added.
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To realise the vision of reducing the burden of diarrhoea, Dettol also announced two partnerships on its journey forward – one with the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the other with the Springboks [SA Rugby] – who are the current world champions.
The relationship with the foundation will help drive hygiene and hand washing education, as well as provide needed hygiene infrastructure to Early Childhood Development Centres across the country – ensuring no child is left behind.
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According to Jurie Roux, CEO of SA Rugby, “It’s more important than ever to ensure fundamental hygiene measures are in place, and this partnership with Dettol will give us added reassurance that we remain vigilant in this area.”
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The Mzansi Protect programme aims to educate one million learners in school and Early Childhood Development Centres across the country with the launch of the New Dettol Hygiene Quest School Programme, with the educational message of #eachoneteachone, which ensures that the hygiene habit is instilled at a young age.
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