Kuni Tyessi in Abuja
Parents are expected to teach their children personal hygiene; the right kinds of food to eat; provide the necessary information they need before the use and consumption of things, as well as safety tips to live long and strong with good academic performance were some of the tips given to pupils of Pacesetters Academy, Wuse, Abuja during the annual health fair day organized by the school recently.
Dr. Agnes Felix-Udoh of the National Hospital, who spoke to the pupils and parents on personal hygiene, said the topic was necessity as what children learn in their formative years would be part of them in adulthood. She said adapting to puberty will not be difficult once the foundation has been well laid.
“A dirty child will be ridiculed and bullied by the classmates and that is the social and psychological implication of not equipping a child well enough at the early stages of life when it comes to personal hygiene. Therefore, parents must teach their children about personal hygiene and how to take care of themselves.”
A representative of the Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Mrs. Pricilla Ikparen, educated the pupils about the importance of PHCs in every ward in the country. She stressed that it should be the first place of call in terms of illnesses as medicines, adding that testing kits and other facilities have been provided in each PHC to deal with basic health discomfort.
In her paper titled ‘Danger of Food Poison’, the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mrs. Yetunde Oni, encouraged the pupils to always check for manufacture and expiry date, place of production and name of manufacturer on every product before consumption.
This she said will save them from many counterfeit products that have flooded the Nigerian markets. She was represented by Pharm T. Adesanya.
Other health activities during the programme included karate display, debates, making of smoothies and juices, among others by pupils of the school.
