CDA organises “My Hand is Clean” campaign

To raise awareness on H1N1 virus and flu epidemic

The Community Development Authority (CDA) in Dubai has launched an awareness campaign on H1N1 virus and the flu epidemic under the slogan “My Hand is Clean”. The campaign in Hatta is organized by volunteers in the locality and aims at spreading awareness of the dangers of the disease.

The campaign calls for the prevention of swine flu by educating individuals on the importance of washing hands with soap and water before and after contact with eyes, nose and mouth. It also emphasises on practicing good health habits such as drinking water in sufficient quantities throughout the day and sleeping at regular times, in addition to eating nutritious food to strengthen the immune system and reduce chance of infection.

Ahmed Al Muhairi, CEO of the Community Centers, said: “This campaign highlights CDA’s commitment to raise public awareness on swine flu, and focus on different measures to prevent it from spreading. It also helps strengthen the culture of volunteerism among the various segments of society.”

“The campaign coincides with other campaigns in various regions of Dubai to raise awareness and educate the public about swine flu and the procedures to be followed to prevent and reduce the possibility of its spreading,” added Al Muhairi.

As part of the “My Hand is Clean” campaign tissue boxes and sterile materials were collected from Khadija Bint Khuwaylid School and Hatta Emirates Cooperative for distribution to schools in Hatta.

The campaign also focuses on how to deal with people who are H1N1 infected and the procedures to follow to treat them.  Other aspects include personal hygiene, cleanliness of personal belongings, personal use of tissues and the attention to leave the bins closed.

Eisa Mohamed Rashid, Coordinator of Hatta volunteers, said that the objective of the campaign is to encourage Hatta residents to cooperate and spread awareness on H1N1 and adequate health & safety measures. Eisa also praised CDA’s efforts in adopting voluntary activities aimed at serving the community.

Community Development Authority (CDA):
The CDA is a government entity mandated with enhancing the social development in Dubai to achieve the Dubai strategic plan 2015 which was announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum on February 2007.

The CDA will work towards promoting and raising the social standards in Dubai, and increasing the role of citizens in the community by cooperating with concerned entities in order to achieve the goals of the development sector and to develop the basic structure necessary for this.

The CDA will work on setting up the necessary policies and standards pertaining to social services providers based on its five strategic goals including promotion of national identity, social protection, social inclusion, social empowerment, and social cohesion in Dubai.

For further information, please contact:
Dr Ghassan Abdullah Al Katheri                 Nedal Alasaad/Nafisa Marzouki
Senior Manager Corporate Communications   ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller
Community Development Authority             Tel: (971 4) 3344550
Tel: (971 4) 4299884                      Fax: (971 4) 3344556
Email: ghassan.alkatheri@cda.gov.ae Email: n.alasaad@asdaa.com n.marzouki@asdaa.com