Germ Buster Challenge makes hygiene lessons fun for Sabah schoolkids
KOTA KINABALU: To tackle recurring cases of food poisoning in schools, the Sabah Health Department has launched an innovative programme aimed at educating pupils about food safety and hygiene through fun and games.
The Germ Buster Challenge 2025 at SK Tanjung Batu Keramat in Tawau last weekend brought together 361 students and 28 teachers from 11 primary schools across the district.
Organised by the Health Department's Food Safety and Quality Division, in collaboration with the Tawau district Health and Education offices, the programme featured activities that reinforced the importance of food safety, particularly in school settings.
'Food poisoning in schools is often caused by a mix of factors, from poor hygiene among food handlers to unclean premises and unsafe food storage," said state deputy Health director Sitti Aralas, who launched the programme.
"But it also comes down to awareness.
'Through this challenge, we aim to instil basic food safety habits in children from a young age in a fun and memorable way."
Two core components of the event were a food safety and hygiene talk and Explorace, an interactive event with challenges linked to hygiene and food safety.
The Explorace saw SK Tanjung Batu Keramat emerge as overall champion, followed by SK Jambatan Putih in second place and SK Holy Trinity in third.
Sitti said the event highlighted not the need for clean food handling in school canteens and vendors, as well as the importance of encouraging children to practise 'look, smell and taste' before consuming food.
'This is about empowering students with knowledge that can help them stay healthy and even potentially save lives. Good hygiene habits start young,' Sitti added.
The organisers intend to help curb food-borne illnesses and promote a culture of cleanliness and awareness in school communities through such proactive education programmes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Borneo Post
5 hours ago
- Borneo Post
Germ Buster Challenge promotes food safety awareness among students
The participants of the State-Level Germ Buster Challenge Programme 2025. TAWAU (June 20): Food poisoning is a recurring issue in schools nationwide, caused by various factors. These include food handlers who do not practice personal hygiene, unclean premises, and unsafe food handling and storage. Additionally, the lack of the 'Look, Smell and Taste' practice among students before consuming food also contributes to such incidents. On June 14, the Food Safety and Quality Division of the Sabah State Health Department, in collaboration with the Tawau District Health Office and the Tawau District Education Office, organized the State-Level Germ Buster Challenge Programme 2025 at Sekolah Kebangsaan Tanjung Batu Keramat, Tawau. The event was officiated by deputy director of the Sabah State Health Department, Sitti Aralas A total of 361 students and 28 teachers from 11 primary schools in the Tawau district participated in the programme. According to Sitti Aralas, this programme targets primary school students with the main objective of educating them on food hygiene and safety through interactive and fun activities to effectively convey the message. The two main components of the programme were an Explorace Competition themed around food hygiene and safety, as well as a food safety and hygiene talk. The challenging and informative Explorace competition crowned Sekolah Kebangsaan Tanjung Batu Keramat as the champion, while Sekolah Kebangsaan Jambatan Putih secured second place, and Sekolah Kebangsaan Holy Trinity took third place. The Food Safety and Quality Division of the Sabah State Health Department hopes that through this programme, awareness and knowledge among school communities will be enhanced regarding the importance of personal hygiene, cleanliness and food safety to prevent food poisoning incidents in schools.
The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
Germ Buster Challenge makes hygiene lessons fun for Sabah schoolkids
KOTA KINABALU: To tackle recurring cases of food poisoning in schools, the Sabah Health Department has launched an innovative programme aimed at educating pupils about food safety and hygiene through fun and games. The Germ Buster Challenge 2025 at SK Tanjung Batu Keramat in Tawau last weekend brought together 361 students and 28 teachers from 11 primary schools across the district. Organised by the Health Department's Food Safety and Quality Division, in collaboration with the Tawau district Health and Education offices, the programme featured activities that reinforced the importance of food safety, particularly in school settings. 'Food poisoning in schools is often caused by a mix of factors, from poor hygiene among food handlers to unclean premises and unsafe food storage," said state deputy Health director Sitti Aralas, who launched the programme. "But it also comes down to awareness. 'Through this challenge, we aim to instil basic food safety habits in children from a young age in a fun and memorable way." Two core components of the event were a food safety and hygiene talk and Explorace, an interactive event with challenges linked to hygiene and food safety. The Explorace saw SK Tanjung Batu Keramat emerge as overall champion, followed by SK Jambatan Putih in second place and SK Holy Trinity in third. Sitti said the event highlighted not the need for clean food handling in school canteens and vendors, as well as the importance of encouraging children to practise 'look, smell and taste' before consuming food. 'This is about empowering students with knowledge that can help them stay healthy and even potentially save lives. Good hygiene habits start young,' Sitti added. The organisers intend to help curb food-borne illnesses and promote a culture of cleanliness and awareness in school communities through such proactive education programmes.
The Star
5 days ago
- The Star
Sabah seeing worrying rise in lifestyle-related diseases
Dr Maria Suleiman (centre) officiating the Jom Sihat Sandakan programme SANDAKAN: Sabah is grappling with a worrying rise in lifestyle-related illnesses, as health authorities highlight a 'double burden' of malnutrition, where communities are affected by both undernutrition and excessive calorie intake. Sabah Health Department director Dr Maria Suleiman said the spike in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension and stroke is closely tied to poor dietary habits and sedentary lifestyles. 'We are dealing with a dual challenge: undernutrition on one hand and overconsumption of calories on the other, along with poor dietary choices. 'If we consume too much, we open ourselves up to health issues such as diabetes, dyslipidemia and high blood pressure,' she told reporters after launching the Jom Sihat Sandakan programme at Sejati Walk here on Saturday. Dr Maria revealed that 298 new stroke cases were reported at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and 198 at Duchess of Kent Hospital in 2024 alone, many of which were closely linked to high blood pressure. She urged the public to take charge of their health by adopting healthier diets and incorporating more physical activity into their daily routines. Citing data from the National Health and Morbidity Survey, Dr Maria noted a steady increase in chronic illnesses across Sabah. 'For diabetes, the prevalence in Sabah rose from 5.7% in 2011 to 8.8% in 2023. Dyslipidemia increased slightly from 31% to 32%, while overweight rates rose from 28% to 30.9%. Obesity, which is very concerning, almost doubled, from 10.6% to 19.5%,' she added. The programme held at Sejati Walk included health screenings, nutrition exhibitions, counselling, interactive activities and health talks to raise awareness on the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Dr Maria added that the initiative aligns with the goals of the National Nutrition Policy, which promotes sustainable food systems and improved access to nutritious diets.
