The data is enough to emphasize how important it is to incorporate hygiene practices such as hand washing into our lives as effective preventive measures.
Hands are used in almost every activity we perform throughout the day. Washing them carefully is the cornerstone of good hygiene. And hygiene never hurt anyone! Knowingly or unknowingly, we come into contact with many germs, which are carriers of many infections, along with problematic conditions such as diarrhea.
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Hand washing is the most pocket-friendly way to prevent a wide range of diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea and more. We prepare, eat, touch public space, touch and handle things that many people used to work with, heal wounds, care for the sick, and do so much more with our hands.
Thanks to the pandemic, the importance of hand washing has become widespread, but have we taken it seriously? According to UNICEF, people, especially men, do not use hygiene products consistently. Effective political support and behavioral change interventions are urgently needed to spread awareness for significant progress in this direction.
Diarrhea and hand washing
Germs such as Salmonella, norovirus, and E. coli O157 are responsible for diarrhea. They are also important sources of feces from humans or animals. They have the ability to spread respiratory infections such as hand-foot-mouth disease and adenovirus.
Germs can easily transfer to people’s hands and spread when using the toilet or doing any other activity. Every year, 1.8 million children under the age of five die from diarrheal diseases and pneumonia. These are the main reasons why children end up in fatal situations all over the world
The lack of such conditions creates many problems for children. Half of the schools do not have hand washing facilities with soap and water. Also, where health facilities are provided, there is a shortage of hygiene products, especially soap and water for washing hands. These places have a high chance of being infected with viral bacteria and other contaminations. If proper hygiene is not followed here, it can lead to serious and even fatal consequences.
He should take responsibility for understanding the basic times and duration of hand washing. Hand hygiene education should be done at home and in the community to spread the message as far as possible. In remote regions and educational institutions, along with hand washing materials, health promotion materials should be distributed. Soap, disinfectants and other materials fall under resources.
Government and health authorities can come together to develop handwashing policies, strategies and action plans. India is now almost the leading country in terms of population. Therefore, it is not possible to spread awareness work to every corner of the country. Thanks to digitization!
Digitalization can reach all parts of the world. Effective messaging can make a big difference in government as well as healthcare online platforms. Making services accessible to the most vulnerable is key to achieving this goal.
Failure to plan is planning to fail. A country with massive diversity needs serious measures to overcome traditional beliefs, social stigma and financial challenges to act for healthy citizens. Children suffer the most due to lack of hygiene.
Their bodies are not ready to deal with harsh conditions and weakness at a very young age makes the battle even more difficult. Keeping them clean and promoting hygiene habits is the first step to save them from various diseases.
Source: IANS
