Importance of Hygiene
In our series on IMPORTANCE of HYGIENE
Hygiene 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.
Hygiene is a concept related to cleanliness, health and medicine, as well as to personal and professional care practices related to most aspects of living. In medicine and in home (domestic) and everyday life settings, hygiene practices are employed as preventative measures to reduce the incidence and spreading of disease. In the manufacture of food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and other products, good hygiene is a key part of quality assurance i.e. ensuring that the product complies with microbial specifications appropriate to its use. The terms cleanliness (or cleaning) and hygiene are often used interchangeably, which can cause confusion. In general, hygiene mostly means practices that prevent spread of disease-causing organisms. Since cleaning processes (e.g., hand washing) remove infectious microbes as well as dirt and soil, they are often the means to achieve hygiene. Other uses of the term appear in phrases including: body hygiene, personal hygiene, sleep hygiene, mental hygiene, dental hygiene, and occupational hygiene, used in connection with public health. Hygiene is also the name of a branch of science that deals with the promotion and preservation of health, also called hygienic. Hygiene practices vary widely, and what is considered acceptable in one culture might not be acceptable in another.
With the kind of health risks that are posed to the human race today, it has become vital to stay as hygienic as possible. In fact, most of the new-world diseases like bird flu and swine flu have been attributed to lack of hygiene. And if we fight lack of hygiene today, it will have good effects on the generation after us too.
Hygiene is a habit that needs to be focused on and inculcated in children at an early age. And it need not be restricted to our bodies alone; it needs to be maintained in our surroundings as well. Let's see how we can go about this.
Hygiene in Our Surroundings Maintaining hygiene around us ensures that they do not turn into breeding grounds for bacteria and viruses. Make sure you follow these simple rules to keep your surroundings hygienic:
Dispose of properly. Waste material if inappropriately disposed of can cause an outbreak of a deadly disease. Most epidemics in history have been caused due to improper waste disposal.
Keep your home clean.
Do not throw garbage around residential areas.
Use garbage cans. They are there for a reason.
Do not spit or urinate in public places. It not only looks bad but also causes the entire surrounding area to stink.
Make sure you stay in constant touch with the local administration to ensure that your office and residential areas are always clean.
to be continued ..........