Experts agree that hand washing is the best way to avoid
infections. However, based on studies, around 56 percent of adults do not wash their hands after urinating. And this isn’t about the
lack of soap and water. Many times, soap and water are available, but
people simply refuse to use them. What about after using the toilet?
There are so many disease-causing bacteria in our feces that we should
wash our hands thoroughly with soap and water. This is especially true
for food handlers. Based on observation, around 40 to 50 percent of
people do not wash their hands after defecating. So many diseases can be
transmitted to others like hepatitis A, salmonella, typhoid fever,
cholera, amebiasis, worms, sore eyes, and various skin infections.
Telling people to wash their hands while singing Happy Birthday may not
be enough. It is no wonder that diarrhea is the No. 2 cause of sickness
in the country with 1,568 cases of diarrhea being reported daily. We
need everyone’s help to find the best ways to change public behavior.
Health advice:
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and
water after using the toilet. Make sure to wash the area at the back of
the hands, between the fingers, under the fingernails, and around the
thumbs. These areas are commonly missed during hand washing. If there’s
no water, use 70-percent rubbing alcohol to wipe your hands.
• Not covering the mouth when coughing (this includes the
bad habit of spitting in public places).
A most annoying and potentially
dangerous habit is coughing in front of other people’s faces. Such
utter disregard for hygiene and the health of others can lead to the
quick spread of flu, pneumonia, colds, and tuberculosis. Based on
studies, children are often at fault when it comes to spreading disease
because they have not been taught the proper cough etiquette.
Health
advice:
Use a tissue or handkerchief when coughing. After coughing into a
tissue, throw it away in a wastebasket. Do not cough in front of
others, especially within a four-foot distance. If possible, don’t cough
into your hands because if you don’t wash your hands, you can easily
infect others. When spitting, expectorate phlegm in a bathroom sink and
wash away with water. If you’re sick with the flu, stay home to avoid
spreading the virus.
Unsafe food handling and preparation Because some people
do not prepare and store food properly, we have the unfortunate cases
of food poisoning, diarrhea, and sometimes death. Personal hygiene and
common sense are important in food preparation.
First is the need to
wash your hands before handling or eating food. A DOH study shows that
only 25 percent wash their hands before preparing food.
Second, separate
raw meat from cooked meat. Raw meat may have parasites and bacteria
that can be passed on to the cooked food. Wash chopping boards and
kitchen utensils before and after using.
Third, buy only safe food
items. This means buying safe meat (not double dead meat) and safe fish
and sea foods (not fish kill or red tide-contaminated).
Fourth, cook your
food thoroughly.
Fifth, cover and protect your food from flies, ants,
and cockroaches. Just a few seconds with a fly and your food might be
contaminated already.
Sixth, if the food is not eaten within two to
three hours, store these immediately in the refrigerator. And lastly,
make sure you label all your ingredients at home. Lack of proper labels
has harmed others because, for instance, the cook had mistakenly placed
poison instead of salt.
• Unsafe sex practices for high-risk groups. The use of condoms is only at 30 percent and 70 percent, for men sleeping with men and female sex workers respectively. This is way below the target rate of 90-percent condom use for high-risk populations. Just think about it. If an HIV positive person doesn’t use a condom during sex, then this is tantamount to directly harming another person (if the other person gets infected). The HIV virus is passed on to others by blood, childbirth, semen, and vaginal fluids.
To prevent the increase in HIV-AIDS cases, follow the ABCs
of prevention.
A) is for abstinence.
B) stands for “be faithful to your
partner.” Having only one partner decreases the chance of transmitting
the disease.
C) is for proper condom use. There is no debate about the
use of condoms to prevent HIV transmission during sex. It’s the only
way. You have to physically block the semen and vaginal fluid from the
infected person.
D) is for “don’t share needles.” Recently, the use of
illegal drugs has caused HIV to spread in the high-risk population. Of
course, people should be weaned away from drug use. But if this isn’t
possible yet, then the use of clean needles can decrease the spread of
HIV-AIDS.
• Unsafe driving habits. Did you know that road accidents
are now the No. 4 leading cause of death in the country? Reckless
driving, overspeeding, tired drivers, and drunk driving all contribute
to fatal accidents. There are also other factors such as poor road
conditions, poor lighting, and faulty traffic signals. Often, we see
buses racing each other and pedestrians jumping over road islands to
cross the highway. To prevent road accidents, the government needs to
strictly enforce traffic rules and ensure safer roads, among other
measures.
• Smoking in front of others. Finally, there is one
dangerous habit that has been scientifically proven to harm another
person. Studies show that smoking, on the average, reduces
your life expectancy by six years. Smoking in front of other people,
called passive smoking, also reduces other people’s lifespan by two
years.
Finally, I would urge our policy makers, the government,
media, and everyone to focus on these six unhealthy habits that can
cause harm to others, too. Let us pass and implement the necessary laws
to protect the public’s health.
I hope you found this article very useful.
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