A general physician, Dr George Williams, on Friday called for routine supervision and monitoring of barbers by the appropriate government agencies to ensure hygiene and prevent spread of communicable diseases.
Williams, who works with the Isolo General Hospital, Lagos, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
Williams said, “To effectively control the spread of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases in Nigeria, a comprehensive approach has to be adopted with the involvement of relevant sectors.
“It is, therefore, recommended that enough attention should be given to hygiene practices in the barber shops through routine supervision and monitoring.’’
The doctor said that barbers and manicurists should be educated on the health benefits of sterilising their instruments before and after using them.
Williams said that ineffective sterilisation of the instruments posed health risk to customers.
“Traditional barbers should endeavour to sterilise their instruments through proper boiling and washing with antiseptic solution.
“This will help to prevent the transmission of diseases like HIV, hepatitis B and C.
“Practical-oriented training should be organised for the barbers and manicurists on decontamination of instruments, with emphasis on the use of correct procedure and potent decontaminants.
“These can be organised through the barbers’ union using peer education’ approach,” Williams said.
He, however, advised those patronising traditional barbers and manicurists to buy their personal instruments to reduce the risks of contracting infections.
NAN reports that sterilisation refers to any process that eliminates all forms of microbial life.
It includes elimination of transmissible agents such as fungi, bacteria and viruses which can be present on a surface, contained in a fluid, in medication or in a compound.
Sterilisation can be achieved by applying heat, chemicals, irradiation, high pressure and filtration. It can be a combination of some of these.
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