Decreasing communicable diseases through improved hygiene in community health clubs

Community Health Clubs in Zimbabwe have proved an effective way to sustain hygiene behaviour change. In 2001, a survey of households indicated significant improvement in hand washing, safe sanitation, good water protection and food hygiene showing 16% difference between health club and control areas (p>0.001) in Makoni and 50% in Tsholotsho District. (Waterkeyn 2003) Recent research confirms that in areas of high coverage of health clubs, there have been significant decreases in reported clinical cases of communicable diseases over the past nine yeas. In Ruombwe, where health clubs have been operating since 1995 and where 80% of the households have members, diarrhoea has fallen from 404 cases in 1995 to 38 in 2003, and Bilharzia almost eliminated from 1,310 in 1995 to only one case. In addition, acute respiratory diseases have decreased from 2,136 to 159 and skin diseases have fallen from 685 to 41 in 2003.