How to Stay Away from Infections

Personal hygiene is what is taught to us from our tender age. Keep yourself neat and tidy. Yes, we all have heard it a million times. It definitely bears repeating. Many of us are not aware of different viruses, but everyone knows it spreads via air or respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Others are infected if they touch virus-infected surfaces and then touch their eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands. Thus, hand hygiene is the best weapon in the prevention of diseases, and certainly, proper and frequent hand wash is the key rule. Frequently washing hands with water and a bar of good soap, or using a good quality hand sanitizer is the best way to keep infections at bay.

Here are a few tips to ensure good hygiene.

• Do not touch your face. Agreed, that this a little harder and needs a conscious effort. Usually, we tend to touch our mouth, eyes, and nose most of the time. One needs to avoid this to prevent getting infected.

• Cover your mouth when coughing and sneezing with a tissue or a handkerchief. Keep a hand sanitizer handy with you. Use hand sanitizers as often as you can.

• Stay indoors if you are sick, and get appropriate medical advice. Follow a healthy diet and exercise as per your time. Eating clean, fresh, and homemade food helps in boosting immunity. Eat multi-nutritional food to full-fill our daily intake of multivitamins and minerals.

• Keeping distance from infected people is the best way to be safe. Avoid shaking hands or hugging infected people.

• Keep your home and surroundings clean. Disinfecting floors, kitchen, washrooms every day is the best possible way to ensure a clean atmosphere at home.

• Clean frequently touched areas such as phones, door handles, remote controls, bathroom fixtures, and light switches properly to avoid any contamination.

• Remove your shoes off at the door itself. Studies have shown that our shoes are more likely to carry bugs with them.

• Keep your bed sheets and blankets clean. Disinfect them regularly to avoid any contamination. Make sure to change the sheets every fortnight to maintain proper hygiene.

• Keep your pets in check. Research has shown that exposure to pet animals in the early stages of life can guard against allergies, but proper hygiene practice must be adhered to.  Dogs and cats can potentially carry very harmful bacteria,so ensure you wash your hands thoroughly after petting them. Also, make sure you maintain their hygiene too by bathing them regularly.

• If you are a garden enthusiast, ensure wearing gloves while handling compost or soil in the garden can contain various pathogens. Every time you wash hands properly after gardening, cleaning underneath of your fingernails thoroughly is a must if you are not using gloves.

Following these basic habits can ensure the prevention of diseases and lessen the chances of getting infected from any bacterial or viral infections. Stay safe.