Hygiene

Hygiene

 

Hygiene Overview 

• According to the World Bank, hygiene promotion is the most cost-effective health action to reduce disease. 
• As of 2020, 2.3 billion people lacked basic hygiene services (handwashing facility with soap and water), and 1.6 billion people had access to handwashing facilities that lacked water or soap. 
• Worldwide, 70% of people used basic hygiene services in 2020. 

Hand Hygiene 

• Research shows that washing hands with soap and water could reduce deaths from diarrheal disease by up to 50%. 
• Researchers estimate that if everyone routinely washed their hands, 1 million deaths a year could be prevented. 
• A large percentage of foodborne disease outbreaks are spread by contaminated hands. Hand Washing can reduce the risk of foodborne illness and other infections. 
• Hand Washing can reduce the risk of respiratory illnesses, like colds, in the general population by 16–21%. 
• The use of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer in U.S. classrooms reduced absenteeism due to infection by about 20% overall among 16 elementary schools and 6,000 students. 
• Handwashing education in the community: 

• Reduces diarrheal illness in people with weakened immune systems by 58% 
• Reduces absenteeism due to gastrointestinal illness in schoolchildren by 29–57% 

Face and Body Hygiene 

• More than 50% of healthy people have Staphylococcus aureus living in or on their nasal passages, throats, hair, or skin. Within the first 15 minutes of bathing, the average person sheds 6 x 106 colony forming units (CFU) of Staphylococcus aureus. Showering before entering recreational waters (such as pools) prevent the spread of germs by reducing the microbial load. 
• The average individual swimmer contributes at least 0.14 grams of fecal material to the water, usually within the first 15 minutes of entering. Showering with soap before swimming helps stop the spread of germs by removing fecal material from the body. 
• Trachoma, the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide, is related to the lack of facial hygiene. An estimated 41 million people suffer from active trachoma, and nearly 10 million people are visually impaired or irreversibly blind as a result of trachoma. 
• Inadequate contact lens hygiene, such as failure to properly disinfect lenses, increases the risk of acquiring the eye infection Acanthamoeba keratitis. 
• The spread of pinworms can be reduced by proper hygiene, including clipping nails and showering children immediately after they wake in the morning. 

Feminine Hygiene 

We all learn the rules of basic hygiene while growing up: wash your hands after using the bathroom, put on deodorant every morning, wear a fresh pair of underwear every day, and so on and so forth. On top of these normal cleanliness practices, women also need to learn the specifics of feminine hygiene as they get older and especially as they begin to go through puberty. 

Unfortunately, there tends to be a lot of confusion over what is safe and healthy and what is not when it comes to caring for your vagina. So, we’ve put together a list of the most important do’s and don’ts for vaginal hygiene to help you stay fresh, clean, and healthy! 

DO keep your vagina dry. 

Your vagina naturally produces fluids to create a healthy environment for itself. However, excess moisture buildup down there can lead to infection and bacteria growth. It’s important, therefore, that you take measures to eliminate any extra or excessive moisture. These measures include: 

• Wearing breathable cotton underwear (as opposed to fabrics like silk that retain moisture) 
• Wiping thoroughly (from front to back!) after using the bathroom 
• Changing out of wet or sweaty undergarments or swimsuits 
• Changing your tampon or menstrual pad, or emptying out your menstrual cup, every 4-6 hours 

DON’T use soap or douche. 

The vagina is pretty good at keeping itself clean. It regulates its own acidity level to prevent the growth of bacteria and infection. The use of strong or perfumed soaps or the act of douching—flushing out the inside of the vagina with water or soap—throws your natural pH out of whack. Disrupting your vaginal balance this way actually makes you more vulnerable to infection. So, skip the soap and just rinse your external genitals with warm water instead. 

DO clean your vagina after sex. 

Having sex can introduce a lot of bacteria and other debris into and around the vagina via bodily fluids, lubricants, condoms, toys, etc. Experts recommend that you urinate following every single sexual encounter to help flush these foreign particles from your body. It’s also a good idea to either shower or wipe down the outside of your vagina with water and dry thoroughly, to help prevent infection. 

DON’T shave off pubic hair. 

A lot of women shave the hair that grows on and around the vagina because they don’t like the way it looks or for their partner. Pubic hair is actually pretty important to vaginal health though, as it serves to protect the vulva from bacteria and other unwanted particles. Razors, wax, and other hair removal tools can also cause irritation or cut the skin, leaving you more susceptible to infection. It is better to trim back pubic hair with scissors than remove it completely. 

DO see your gynecologist annually. 

Regular wellness checkups are an essential aspect of preventative healthcare for all women. You should make an appointment with your gynecologist every year to ensure you’re keeping up with necessary tests and other exam procedures, such as Pap smears, mammograms, and STD panels. This annual visit is also a good chance to address any questions or concerns you might have regarding your sexual or reproductive health. 

DON’T ignore signs of infection. 

You know yourself and your vagina better than anyone else. If something isn’t right, call your gynecologist to ask about symptoms or make an appointment ASAP. Contact your doctor if you experience vaginal itching, redness, pain during intercourse (or general vaginal pain), a strange or pungent odor, excessive or discolored discharge, bumps or a rash, or anything else that doesn’t seem normal about your vagina. Any of these symptoms could signal infection or even an underlying health condition, in which case the earlier you seek treatment, the better. 

Foot Hygiene 

Many diseases and foot problems can be prevented through healthy personal hygiene and taking care of your feet. Healthy foot hygiene practices include not only washing your feet but also clipping your toenails and wearing well-fitting, protective footwear. 

Basic Care for Healthy Feet 

 How to protect your feet: 

• Wash your feet every day and dry them completely. 
• Clip your toenails short and keep them clean. 
• Change your socks at least once a day. 
• Check your feet regularly for cuts, sores, swelling, dryness, and infected toenails and apply treatment as needed. 
• When visiting a salon for foot care, choose a salon that is clean and licensed by your state’s cosmetology board. Make sure the salon sterilizes instruments after each use (such as nail clippers, scissors, and other tools). 

 Foot Hygiene Is Key in Promoting Good Health 

Athlete’s foot, or tinea pedis, is an infection of the skin and feet that can be caused by a variety of fungi that thrive in warm, dark, and moist environments. Although tinea pedis can affect any part of the foot, the infection most often affects the space between the toes. Good hygiene practices, like keeping your feet and toes clean and dry and changing your shoes and socks regularly, help to prevent or control tinea pedis. 

Diabetes can damage the nerves and affect blood flow in feet and legs. Poor foot hygiene can put you at an increased risk for infection. 

Fungal nail infections are common infections of the fingernails or toenails that can cause the nail to become discolored, thick, and more likely to crack and break. Small cracks in your nail or the surrounding skin can allow these germs to enter your nail and cause an infection. 

Hookworm is a parasitic worm (also called a helminth). Globally, it is one of the most common roundworms found in humans. Hookworm infection is most common in resource-limited settings with poor access to water, sanitation, and hygiene. The best way to avoid hookworm infection is not to walk barefoot in areas where hookworm is common and where the soil may be contaminated by human poop (feces). 

Disclosure: Most of this information was obtained from the CDC.gov  website and brought to you by

Dr. Yvette Fletcher-Prince, MD, DNP, APRN