A

pediatrician at the Harapan Kita Mother and Child Hospital in West Jakarta, Akira Prayudijanto, has warned that Indonesia'€™s infant mortality rate is rising due to unhygienic lifestyles.

'€œThe deaths of infants below one month old are usually caused by infectious diseases such as meningitis, among others. While in fact, we can prevent these diseases by ensuring that we engage in hygienic practices,'€ he said.

According to the National Statistics Agency, the number of infants dying before reaching their first birthday stood at 22 per 1,000 live births in 2012, up from 14 per 1,000 in 2010. Data from the World Bank in 2013 showed the infant mortality rate in Indonesia was 25 deaths per 1,000 live births, more than twice as high as Thailand with 11 and higher than Vietnam with 19.

Akira said proper hand-washing could reduce the infant mortality rate and would also reduce the risks of diseases caused by bacteria and viruses such as flu and diarrhea, as well as respiratory problems.

'€œAccording to the WHO, hand-washing can reduce the risk of diarrhea by 47 percent,'€ he said.

The biggest challenge, Akira said, was lack of awareness. '€œThe biggest challenge is to shift people'€™s behavior. Those who have awareness will find ways to practice a healthy lifestyle in spite of limitations,'€ he said.

As part of the national '€œDettol Healthy Life Mission'€ program, global health and sanitation company Reckitt Benckiser (RB) in cooperation with the Health Ministry and the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) recently inaugurated the installation of 500 hand-wash stations, to be distributed across the island of Java, at the SD Gondangdia 05 Pagi public elementary school in Menteng, Central Jakarta.

'€œOf the 500 hand-wash stations, 417 have been installed, 65 percent of which were installed in schools. We worked together with the city administration to identify which schools were in most need of such facilities in Jakarta,'€ RB Indonesia president director Ratanjit Das said.

During the ceremony, five student '€œdoctors'€ from the elementary school demonstrated the proper way to wash hands: using flowing clean water and soap. The students also ensured they cleaned their nails and between the fingers.

Akira said the safest way to dry the hands after washing was using tissue or a clean cloth. '€œHand dryers are actually not effective in getting rid of micro organisms. The best option is to use hand tissues or a clean cloth. Washing hands using flowing water is also highly recommended,'€ he said.

By showing students the proper way to wash hands, Akira hoped that students'€™ lifestyles would improve. '€œIndonesia has at least 250,000 schools and around 73 million students. If we can improve our students'€™ habits, they will become healthier,'€ he said.

IDI'€™s partnership division head Ulul Albab said the association and Dettol had also worked together to promote hygienic lifestyles in 145 Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) across Java.

'€œI hope that the campaign will not only end up providing the facilities but also to continue to educate them, so the rates of sickness will decrease,'€ Ulul said.