CA-NEWS (TJ) - The most simple and effective way to prevent flu is observance of personal hygiene, Ms. Hongwei Gao, UNICEF Country representative in Tajikistan, noted at a news conference in Dushanbe in September.

A joint news conference of the Ministry of Health and the UNICEF Country Office in Tajikistan was dedicated to the launch of a flu prevention campaign aimed at promoting protection of health of women and children in Tajikistan through raising their awareness of simple flu prevention measures and bringing about changes in personal-hygiene-related behavior. The campaign will last for one month.

Deputy Heath Minister, Azam Mirzoyev, noted that some 300,000 cases of acute respiratory virus infection (ARVI) are reported in Tajikistan annually. "Over the first six months of this year alone, 16,000 cases of influenza and 162,000 cases of ARVI have been reported in the country. The majority of those taken ill with flu and ARVI are children under the age of 14," the deputy minister said.

According to UNICEF, the core component of the influenza prevention campaign is a social mobilization of the population through organizing community-level activities to raise flu prevention awareness. A number of NGOs as well traditional and religious leaders will be involved in social mobilization activities, dissemination of knowledge and skills to children and their families that will help them prevent influenza.

UNICEF supports the Ministry of Health to raise the flu prevention awareness through reproducing posters and release bulletins, demonstrating and airing public service announcements (PSA) and programs on national and regional TV and radio channels. UNICEF has allocated 120,000 U.S. dollars for these purposes.