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Plan to ward off summer diseases

ABU DHABI — The Central Health Education Department (CHED) at the Ministry of Health (MoH) has chalked out a programme to spread awareness on summer diseases and the means of preventing them.

“A strategic plan has been devised to educate people on how to reduce chances of diseases during the summer time,” said Hadirah Darweesh, director of CHED.

Darweesh said part of the plan was to designate nurses for schools to educate children on aspects like first aid, personal hygiene, prevention against sun rays, and healthy food. “Some 130 students in the age group of 6-10 have already benefited from the programme which started on July 1 and this will continue in the month of August,” she said.

Starting August 1, a series of awareness programmes on the importance of breast-feeding will be organised at Al Madiah, Al Hamidiya, Mushairf, Al Manama and Mizari medical centres in the Northern Region, said Darweesh.

Aside from this, seminars and discussions on unhealthy life-style and related problems like obesity and anaemia, will also be organised during July and August at the youth centres in Ras Al Khaimah.

“The psychological health of adults and associated problems such as anxiety, depression and lack of self-confidence will be discussed by experts to help young people lead normal lives,” she said.

In Umm Al Quwain and Sharjah, a number of lectures on HIV/Aids transmission and prevention, importance of children vaccination and means and ways of averting heat strokes will also be organised, said Darweesh.

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