Today, Amandala was present at one of these campaign visits that was held with the students from Wesley Upper School, located on Dolphin Street.

The two presenters, Aquatic Health Officer, Andrea Reneau, from BAHA?s Central Medical Laboratory and Public Health Inspector, Lisa Tillett, conducted two sessions at the school.

A number of students engaged in the presentation, which was very educational, as they were presented with information that was gathered from data that was acquired through a survey that was done in Belize and Jamaica, Barbados, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The survey was over a month long, from May to July, 2002. Over 800 households, both urban and rural, were included in the survey.

Handouts such as hand-shaped magnetic refrigerator decorations, brochures and posters with cartoons that promote good hygiene practices, prevention of food-borne illnesses, and avoiding cross-contamination were given to the students.

A few of the facts that were in the colorful pamphlets were: that food-borne illnesses are caused by foods eaten a few hours to several days prior to illnesses; that germs on counters, sinks, cutting boards, utensils or via hands can cause ?cross contamination;? bacterial facts were presented – very serious or mild illness can occur due to food-borne illnesses that may occur 30 minutes to 2 weeks after eating food containing harmful bacteria; and infants, elderly people and those with weakened immune systems are prone to food related illnesses.

Using separate kitchen utensils and cutting boards for handling raw foods, storing food in containers to avoid contact between raw and prepared foods, reheating thoroughly cooked foods, refrigerating cooked and perishable foods promptly, serving foods after they were kept at very high temperatures more than 60 degrees Celsius and to refrain from storing food too long in the refrigerators were guidelines that were included in the food safety rules.

According to Reneau, from the study conducted in the CARICOM, 90% do not think that their homes can be a frequent source of food borne illness; almost 60% are unaware that pesticides can cause food safety problems; a third perceive that it is appropriate to consume fish, chicken and meat that are left on the kitchen counter; 10% do not wash hands after handling raw meat, or eggs; and a third do not realize the importance of keeping kitchen and yard garbage covered.

Also as a part of the campaign, primary schools are partaking in an essay competition. These students are requested to write on the topic Safe food Handling: How I can make a difference, in 500 words or less that include issues such as poor food preparation, unhygienic practices, contamination and positive practices to prevent diseases/food poisoning.

The student with the winning essay will receive a cash prize of BZ$500, and the school which the child attends will receive vegetables, fruits, fish poultry and beef from Belizean producers for a year, to be utilized in their food program.

The second place winner will receive $300 and third place winner $200. Deadline for submission is Monday, May 16, to the Food Safety Department, Belize City, and the announcement of the winners will be done on Wednesday, May 18.

Reneau said that the presentation visits are only being done throughout the week at the upper levels of primary schools since it is the first. Next year, BAHA plans to do more of these sessions at secondary and tertiary level schools.