Social media and control of soil-transmitted helminthiasis in Bhutan

• Published in: PLoS neglected tropical diseases 2019-02, Vol.13 (2), p.e0007102-e0007102
• Main Authors: Thinley, Sangay, Namgyal, Kencho, Montresor, Antonio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anthelmintics - administration & dosage; Anthelmintics - therapeutic use; Bhutan - epidemiology; Care and treatment; Chemotherapy; Computer and Information Sciences; Control; Countries; Digital media; From Innovation to Application; Health aspects; Health education; Helminthiasis; Helminthiasis - drug therapy; Helminthiasis - epidemiology; Helminthiasis - prevention & control; Helminthiasis - transmission; Humans; Hygiene; International organizations; Internet access; Medical personnel; Medical personnel training; Medicine and Health Sciences; Menstruation; NGOs; Nongovernmental organizations; Nutrition; Organizations; People and Places; Public health; Sanitation; Schools; Social Media; Social networks; Social Sciences; Soil; Soil - parasitology; Teachers; Technology; Technology application; Training; Tropical climate; Tropical diseases; User groups
• ISSN: 1935-2735; 1935-2727; 1935-2735
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007102

About the Authors: Sangay Thinley Affiliation: Programme Manager, Comprehensive School Health Programme/STH Programme, Department of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Thimphu, Bhutan Kencho Namgyal Affiliation: WASH Specialist, UNICEF Country Office, Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (formerly WASH officer with UNICEF Country Office, Bhutan) Antonio Montresor * E-mail: [e-mail] Affiliation: Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland ORCID logo http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3103-8872 Citation: Thinley S, Namgyal K, Montresor A (2019) Social media and control of soil-transmitted helminthiasis in Bhutan. In January 2012, Mr. Kencho Namgyal, former WASH Officer with UNICEF Bhutan Country Office, initiated the Facebook group “Health Nutrition and WinS (WASH in Schools)–Bhutan” [4] as an informal platform to exchange knowledge among personnel involved in school health activities, such as school health coordinators, teachers, school principals, administrators, civil servants, employees of nongovernmental organizations, international intergovernmental organizations, and United Nations agencies. The platform managers, at least weekly, monitor the activity of the group and upload posts announcing training opportunities or health-related events (World Health Day, World Toilet Day, Global Menstrual Hygiene Day, among others) to ensure wide distribution of the information among teachers and active participation by schools.