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PERSONAL HYGIENE: PANACEA FOR A HEALTHY LIVING.

Dept: MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCE File: Word(doc) Chapters: 1-5 Views:

Abstract

This book contains a vivid explanation of what personal hygiene is and what role it has to play towards achieving a healthy life. It pin-points what personal hygiene entails and the disadvantages and diseases that would arise due to personal unhygienic practices. It also contains important and proper personal hygienic practices and serves as a guide to how one can improve his/her personal hygiene. INTRODUCTION The human body can provide places for disease-causing germs and parasites to grow and multiply. These places include the skin and in and around the openings of the body. It is however less likely that germs and parasites will get inside the body if people are not very conscious of their hygiene. The food we eat,the way we keep our bodies and environment clean and how often and efficiently we exercise all play great roles in maintaining good health. Many diseases develop due to lack of personal hygiene. All these diseases can be prevented by practicing cleanliness. Th

DEFINITION OF PERSONAL 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 and prevent the spread of diseases.”(www.worldhealth.com)

Personalhygiene is practices performed individually to protect one’s health and make one’s life healthy.According to World Health Organization (WHO) around 1.1 billion people globally do not have access to improved water supply sources,whereas 2.4 billion people do not have access to any kind of improved sanitation facility. About 2 million people die every year due to diarrheal diseases,most of whom are children less than 5 years of age. The most affected are the population in developing countries living in extreme conditions of poverty,normally peri-urban dwellers or rural inhabitants.

Among the main factors which are responsible for this situation are; lack of priority given to the sector (Health), lack of financial resources, lack of sustainability of water supply and sanitation services, poor hygiene behaviours and inadequate sanitation in homes and public places such as hospitals, health centers and schools. Providing access to sufficient quantities of safe water, the provision of facilities for a sanitary disposal of excreta and introducing sound hygiene behavioursare of capital importance to reduce the burden of diseases caused by these risk factors.

Personal hygiene is therefore a measure taken at individual level to promote personal cleanliness so that transmission of diseases from source to susceptible hosts is prevented.