BEAUTIFUL TUESDAY: Good personal hygiene

Hygiene (which comes from the name of the Greek goddess of health, Hygieia), is a set of practices performed for the preservation of health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases.

Good personal hygiene habits include:

• washing the body often. If possible, everybody should have a shower or a bath every day. However, there may be times when this is not possible, for example, when people are out camping or there is a shortage of water
• If this happens, a swim or a wash all over the body with a wet sponge or cloth will do
• cleaning the teeth at least once a day. Brushing the teeth after each meal is the best way of making sure that gum disease and tooth decay are avoided. It is very important to clean teeth after breakfast and immediately before going to bed
• washing the hair with soap or shampoo at least once a week
• washing hands with soap after going to the toilet
• washing hands with soap before preparing and/or eating food. During normal daily activities, such as working and playing, disease causing germs may get onto the hands and under the nails. If the germs are not washed off before preparing food or eating, they may get onto the food
• changing into clean clothes. Dirty clothes should be washed with laundry soap before wearing them again
• hanging clothes in the sun to dry. The sun's rays will kill some disease-causing germs and parasites.
• turning away from other people and covering the nose and mouth with a tissue or the hand when coughing or sneezing. If this is not done, droplets of liquid containing germs from the nose and mouth will be spread in the air and other people can breathe them in, or the droplets can get onto food.

 

DISEASES ASSOCIATED WITH POOR HYGIENE

There are many sicknesses which can be caused by inadequate (poor) domestic or personal hygiene.

Signs of poor domestic hygiene include:

• not cleaning the toilet
• not getting rid of rubbish
• not washing clothes and bedding frequently
• not storing food properly

Signs of poor personal hygiene include:

• not washing hands
• not showering
• not washing hair

Diseases in Indigenous communities caused by germs and parasites resulting from inadequate domestic and personal hygiene

Bacterial

• food poisoning
• gastroenteritis
• diarrhoea caused by Campylobacter
• pneumonia
• trachoma
• skin infections

Viral

• hepatitis A
• gastroenteritis
• colds and flu

Parasitic

• giardiasis
• scabies infection
• pediculosis (head lice infection)
• hookworm infection
• threadworm infection
• roundworm infection (strongyloides)

Poor domestic and personal hygiene practices can help the transmission of disease-causing germs:

• directly by the faecal-oral route, or by person to person or pet to person contact
• indirectly by vectors coming into contact with people or their food, people breathing in airborne droplets of moisture which contain germs or eating contaminated food.

PERSONAL HYGIENE FOR WOMEN

The vagina is able to clean itself no special care is needed, other than washing the external genitals. Do not put anything like douches into the vagina, as the delicate skin can be damaged. Here are some personal hygiene suggestions for women:

• Menstruation - wash your body, including your genital area, in the same way as you always do. Change tampons and sanitary napkins regularly, at least four to five times a day. Always wash your hands before and after handling a tampon or pad.
• Cystitis - is an infection of the bladder. This is a common condition for sexually active young women. Urinating after sexual intercourse can help to flush out any bacteria that may be in the urethra and bladder.

·         Thrush - some soaps and detergents can irritate the skin of the vagina, and make thrush infections more likely. Some people find that they often get thrush when they use antibiotics. Use mild soap and unperfumed toilet paper.

·         Avoid tight, synthetic underwear. Try cotton underwear, and change regularly. There is medical treatment for thrush, so talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

PERSONAL HYGIENE FOR MEN

A build-up of secretions called smegma can form under the foreskin of uncircumcised men. If you are uncircumcised, gently pull back the foreskin when you have a shower and clean with water. You can use soap if you like, but make sure you rinse it off well.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out." --John Wooden

DID YOU KNOW?

• ·         Most people have lost fifty per cent of their taste buds by the time they reach the age of sixty.

• ·         The amount of carbon in the human body is enough to fill about 9,000 'lead' pencils.