What is the importance of sanitation?
The importance of sanitation and cleanliness lies in the fact that it contributes directly to any community’s well-being. Additionally, the importance of sanitation and hygiene is especially linked with general human health, long life span, as well as several economic benefits. The upkeep of sanitation is deployed as a fantastic way of protecting both the environment as well as human health.
Importance of clean surroundings
One of the key goals of sanitation and personal hygiene is to effectively minimize human exposure to pathogens. For this, we need to ensure clean surroundings free from the breeding grounds of common germs. What are the causes of unhealthy surroundings? One of the causes is infected individuals who are carriers of disease-causing pathogens. If not properly treated or contained, they tend to pose a risk to other healthy individuals who come in their contact.
Similarly, first, let’s understand why is it important to live in a clean environment and what is the importance of good health in our life. To answer these questions, we must understand that in an unclean environment, individuals are exposed to pathogens via contaminated drinking water or food. Often, drinking water in certain regions is found to be contaminated with toxic chemicals and fecal matter.
Now that you know the importance of clean surroundings, your next question might be- “What are the different ways to keep our surroundings clean?“. To answer this question, you can start from the basics – carry your reusable bag, minimize single-usage items, etc. For more long terms solutions, you can adopt certain habits such as composting, reducing personal waste generation, among others.
Health Impacts of Poor Sanitation
All of us know that a lack of proper sanitation methods and poor personal hygiene contributes to disease. According to the World Health Organization, certain diseases caused by poor hygiene are Hepatitis A, Cholera, Diarrhea, Dysentery, Polio, Typhoid, and also worsen stunting. Hence, the side-effects of poor personal hygiene prove to be extremely detrimental in the long run. Poor sanitation impacts every aspect of human well-being, along with economic and social development due to its impact on anxiety, financial expenditure, as well as lost opportunities.
Why Is It Important to maintain hygiene during COVID-19?
Based on our current knowledge of the coronavirus transmission, it spreads via person-to-person contact (especially within a distance of 6 feet) through respiratory droplets. Furthermore, the transmission of the virus to persons from contaminated surfaces has also been reported. This is why you must regularly clean and disinfect your home during COVID-19.
Here are some things to pay attention to while disinfecting:
- Wear skin as well as eye protection to reduce splashing of disinfectant
- Use only as much disinfectant as mentioned on the label
- Never mix different chemical products
- Store chemicals in a cool and dry place away from children’s reach
Wider Benefits of Personal Hygiene and Community Sanitation
How does an unhygienic environment affect our health? To know this, we must first understand how hygienic surroundings impact us. Apart from its improved impact on human health, better sanitation has far-reaching economic as well as social advantages as well. While all of us may already know these benefits, yet scientists have only begun to unearth the correlation between changed personal hygiene behavior and a sense of well-being.