Hygiene

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Hygiene is the maintenance of healthy practices. In modern terminology, this is usually regarded as a particular reference to cleanliness.

Outward signs of good hygiene include the absence of visible dirt (including dust and stains on clothing) or of bad smells. Since the development of the germ theory of disease, hygiene has come to mean any practice leading to the absence of harmful levels of bacteria.

Good hygiene is an aid to health, beauty, comfort and social interactions. Good hygiene directly aids in disease prevention and/or disease isolation. (That is, if you are healthy, good hygiene will help you avoid illness. If you are sick, good hygiene can reduce your contagiousness to others.)

Washing (with water) is the most common example of hygienic behavior. Washing is often done with soap or detergent which helps to remove oils and to break up dirt particles so they may be washed away.

Hygienic practices -- such as frequent hand washing or the use of boiled (and thus sterilized) water in medical operations -- have a profound impact on reducing the spread of disease. This is because they kill or remove disease-causing microbes (germs) in the immediate surroundings. For instance, washing one's hands after using the toilet and before handling food reduces the chance of spreading E. coli bacteria and hepatitis A, both of which are spread from fecal contamination of food.


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Some hygienic practices

Personal hygiene

  • Daily washing of the body and hair
  • More frequent washing of hands and/or face
  • Brushing teeth one to three times daily
  • Cleaning of the clothes and living area
  • General avoidance of body fluids
  • General avoidance of unhygienic people
    • Holding a hand in front of the mouth when sneezing or coughing
    • Suppression of habits such as spitting or nose-picking
    • Use of condoms in sexual relations
    • Washing hands before eating
    • Not licking fingers before picking up sheets of paper
    • Not touching feces.

Food preparation and consumption

  • Cleaning of food preparation areas and equipment
  • Washing of hands after touching uncooked food when preparing meals
  • Not using the same utensils to prepare different foods
  • Non-sharing of cutlery when eating
  • No licking of fingers or hands while or after eating
  • Refrigeration of foods (and avoidance of certain foods in environments where refrigeration is or was not feasible)
  • The labeling of food to indicate when it was produced (or, as food manufacturers prefer, to indicate its best before date)
  • Proper storage of food so as to prevent contamination by vermin
  • Disposal of uneaten food and packaging
  • Institutional dish sanitizing

Medicine

Personal services

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