Sweden’s leading hygiene products company, SCA, and Vinda Group, China’s tissue paper company, is set to provide Tork and Vinda solutions to a six month hand hygiene program in Shenzhen, China.

The program, which will cover 18 kindergartens and 2,200 households, is the first quantitative research in China to link early hand hygiene intervention with disease prevention.

The number of children in China afflicted by Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) rises during the warmer months from May to September.

The newly initiated research program, led by experts from the Shenzhen Center of Disease Control and Rotterdam Erasmus University Hospital, aims to show how good hand hygiene – at school and at home – can prevent diseases as HFMD, according to a press statement.

SCA will supply Tork dispensers, soap, and hand towels to the kindergartens, and support the training of kindergarten teachers with the Tork ‘Ella’ school hand-washing program toolkit. Vinda will also distribute its anti-bacterial wet wipes to facilitate hand hygiene in 2,200 households participating in the project.

Peter Blomström, AFH Arena Director, Emerging Arenas said, “The Tork ‘Ella’ hand-washing school program has proven to be effective in helping children develop good hand-washing habits, in a fun and interactive way. We are confident that this pilot in China will be just as well-received, and we are glad that SCA will play a role in the hygiene care of children from an early age.”

In late March, the first hand hygiene training was held for a class of children at a local kindergarten. Over 200 more training’s will be conducted in the coming months. (GK)