Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Cleanliness Equals Good Health

by Barbara A. Holt, Ph.D

Clark County Extension Agent -

Family and Consumer Sciences

Cooperative Extension Service

INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Simple personal and domestic cleanliness -- handwashing, bathing, laundering, disinfecting and sanitizing living spaces, water purification and mosquitto abatement -- are responsible for much of the good health we enjoy today.

The "health revolution" of the early 19th century showed a direct link between imporved levels of cleanliness and personal hygiene and a decrease in cases of such diseases as infant diarrhea, viral gastroenteritis, viral hepatitis, ringworm, salmonellosis, typhoid, some staphylococcal and streptococcal infections, and typhus.

The most dramatic impact of the health revolution was its influence on infant and childhood mortality.

In the U.S. during the 1800's, 160 babies out of every thousand born died in their first year of life. Today, fewer than 15 per thousand die the first year after birth. Moreover, the mortality of 1- to 5-year-olds during the last 150 years has dropped from 60 per thousand to fewer than one per thousand.

That trend has turned around.

Infectious disease is again on the rise. An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (January 17, 1996), "Trends in Infectious Diseases Mortality in the United States," reported in the Clorox Newsline, said that between 1980 and 1992, the death rate due to infectious diseases increased 58% from 41 to 65 death rate due to infectiouus diseases increased 58% from 41 to 65 deaths per 100,000 population in the U.S. Approximately 25% of visits to physicians are attributable to infectious diseases.

Less emphasis has been placed on infectious diseases over the past 20 years. With successes, such as antibiotics and childhood immunizations, many felt that science had infectious diseases under control. Recent events, such as the emergency of HIV and resistant strains of bacteria, have reminded us of how vulnerable we really are.

Any significant decline in today's hygiene standards could ultimately result in reemergence of some of the health problems of the past, as well as some new problems.

What can people do to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases? Surprisingly simple things provide effective solutions.

First, make handwashing a priority. Wash hands for about 20 seconds before and after preparing foods, using the bathroom, diapering or treating a sick family member. Encourage others to follow the same practice.

Second, maintain a high level of cleanliness in the home. Make personal hygiene a top priority, including laundering and bathing in addition to handwashing. Soap and water and ordinary household bleach diluted with water are effective germ killers around the house.

Disinfect surfaces in the home to make them clean and germ-free. Sanitized food preparation surfaces before and after preparing food. Keep wooden tables, cutting boards and other porous surfaces clean. Disinfect dishcloths and synthetic sponges. Keep floors and other kitchen surfaces clean.

Hard surfaces in the bathroom, including the toilet, can be disinfected regularly. Garbage cans can be kept clean and germ-free.

We have one distinct advantage over previous generations with regard to infectious diseases: science.

Armed with the lessons of the past and continued dilligence, we can use our knowledge to keep infectious diseases at bay, just by using a little common sense and by continuing to practice the good hygiene habits we learned as children.