The Deputy Minister of Health Rojo Mettle-Nunoo Thursday launched the new advanced Lifebuoy Soap, with a call on Ghanaians to live a healthy lifestyle to help cut government’s expenditure on health. Lifebuoy Soap, a product of Unilever, is the world’s number one germ protection soap. The product will now come in a new and improved shape, packaging, with different variants that produce 30% more lather. Launching the product at the College of Surgeons & Physicians, Mr Mettle-Nunoo commended Unilever for the timely reintroduction of the soap, which he said has happened at a time when the nation is battling with the outbreak of cholera. He hoped the launch, coupled with other social interventions by the company, would bring the needed behavioural change among the general public. Mr Mettle-Nunoo said the government recognized the need for Ghanaians to adopt preventive measures like living in a clean environment, eating healthy foods among other good habits for a healthy society. He said studies have shown that washing with Lifebuoy soap in five critical skin cleansing occasions - before breakfast, lunch, dinner, during daily bathing and after visiting the washroom – can reduce the incidence of diarrhea by 25%, acute respiratory infection 15% and eye infection by 40%. The Deputy Health Minister made a passionate appeal to Unilever to make the product available and affordable for Ghanaians. Mr David Mureithi, Managing Director of Unilever West Africa remarked: “Let us all remember that simple everyday habits like washing hands with Lifebuoy soap before every meal and most important of all, after visiting the washroom will help improve lives considerably.” He said, presently, more than 1.6 billion people around the world trust Lifebuoy products to give them 100% germ protection, describing it as the true embodiment of Unilever’s Vitality Mission of helping people look good, feeling good and getting more out of life. Mr Mureithi said in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in Asia, Lifebuoy bars were distributed across India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases and to provide germ protection.