A schools hand hygiene initiative was launched at Vinehall School with a visit from the Benenden Hospital “bug beaters” to warn children about the dangers of antibiotic resistance.
Infection Control Lead Heather Coles and pharmacist Leslie Grice used a “Snot Gun” to demonstrate how far germs can spread and how pupils can keep themselves free from infection.
A spray bottle filled with green water was used to simulate a person sneezing and the Year 4 pupils had to mark on a runway of white paper how far “germs” could reach.
Another fun session on “horrid hands” involved pupils having GloGerm gel squeezed into their hands and highlighted by UV light.
Benenden Hospital’s schools hand hygiene initiative is part of a Government drive to teach children about the dangers of antibiotic resistance.
Heather said: “Without effective antibiotics, even minor surgery and routine operations could become high risk procedures if serious infections can’t be treated.
“The younger generation are the group who may be affected in the future if there are no effective antiobiotics left to treat even simple infections.
Public Health England has warned that up to three million routine operations a year could become life-threatening if antiobiotic resistance worsens.
Doctors currently give antibiotics to patients having everyday procedures such as hip replacements to reduce infection risk. But increasing resistance means there may be no effective drugs left in a few years.
Benenden Hospital has an infection-free record with zero cases of MRSA and will be rolling out its hands hygiene initiative at other local primary schools.
Published on 25 March 2019