April 13, 2020
By: Sian White, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
This article was originally posted on the COVID-19 Hygiene Hub.
The COVID-19 Hygiene Hub resources are currently under development. Our team of experts are working on a range of technical and practical briefs. When complete we will have a database of searchable, plain-language guidance for partners implementing hygiene programmes as a part of COVID-19 response.
Articles on the following topics will be developed and uploaded over the next week:
More details on what each of these sections will cover is provided below.
General hygiene programming advice for COVID-19 response
Includes advice on Staying informed and responsive, involving others and staying connected, aligning work to the national response and assessing risk locally.
An overview of simple ways to adapt standard hygiene promotion measures to be relevant to COVID-19 and how to do so in a way that minimises risk to staff and communities.
An overview of why community engagement is critical in outbreaks and suggestions for how community engagement can be adapted and implemented during this time.
A summary of inclusiveness principles, resources, and tools to ensure hygiene programming is inclusive.
Lists of key resources and other information hubs that cater to a range of languages including English, French, Spanish and Arabic.
Hygiene behaviour during outbreaks
Summary of some of the key ways that people’s hygiene behaviour may be affected by a global pandemic and advice for how this may affect programming.
A summary of key lessons from previous outbreaks and recent humanitarian responses to cholera or Ebola.
Handwashing Promotion for COVID-19 response
Examples of five cost-effective and simple activities that can be implemented as part of the first phase response.
Summarising evidence around what works to change handwashing behaviour including content on the effect of educational messages, handwashing infrastructure, cues, and delivery channels.
Summarising evidence about why handwashing is so effective at controlling COVID-19 and how to promote handwashing when soap and water are scarce.
Recommendations for how to measure assess the effectiveness of your programmes and hygiene behaviours when in-person interactions are limited.
COVID-19 and other Hygiene Behaviours
Answers to common questions about faecal-oral transmission of COVID-19, the science behind faecal-oral transmission and how it relates to COVID-19, and the implications for COVID-19 for sanitation and faecal sludge management.
Summarising evidence and recommendations about how the virus can transmit via surfaces and, implications for resource-scare settings, resources for promoting surface disinfection, and information on large-scale disinfection of households and communities..
An overview of why physical distancing is important and how to promote it through simple actions as part of hygiene programming.
Masks and other measures to keep hygiene promoters safe
An explanation of the conflicting evidence about mask wearing as a preventative measure for COVID-19 with a specific focus on hygiene promotion staff.
Using different delivery channels for hygiene promotion
A summary of tips for how to use phone-based messaging effectively and platforms that can support this currently.
Practical examples of how to use radio creatively to change behaviours.
Tips for developing context-adapted materials as well as links to available resources and others that can be customised.
Information about the COVID-19
A brief review of technical terms related to COVID-19 and the virus that causes the disease
A summary of the latest evidence about the epidemiology of COVID-19 with a focus on the characteristics that make COVID-19 unique.
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© 2017 The Global Handwashing Partnership (GHP).