Compared to 10-15% in the West, 60% diseases in India are still infectious in nature.

 

 

 

Food/ water-borne (e.g. cholera, bacterial/ viral typhoid, hepatitis A or B)

 

 

 

Respiratory diseases (e.g. pneumonia, tuberculosis, seasonal flu)

 

 

 

Animal contact disease (e.g. swine flu)

 

 

“Infections reach mainly through mouth, eye and nose. Our hands reach all three. If we maintain hand hygiene, we can stop 80 per cent infectious diseases”

- Dr Narendra Saini, India representative, Hygiene Council

 

Soap vs hand sanitiser

If the hand is visibly dirty or oily then soap has to be used. Otherwise, the sanitiser cannot reach the skin.

 

 

The Telegraph Salt Lake speaks to a cross section of residents about their hygiene habits and finds them coming woefully short

Sample size: 40

1. Do you eat when working on the computer?

Yes: 70%

No: 30%

2. Do you wash and dry vegetables before keeping them in the refrigerator?

Yes: 29%

No: 71%

3. Do you wash your hands before eating?

Yes: 35%

Sometimes: 65%

4. Do you wash your hands with soap/ hand sanitiser or just water?

Soap/ hand sanitiser: 85%

Only water: 15%

5. How long do you take to wash your hands?

5-10 seconds: 31%

10-20 seconds: 58%

20-30 seconds: 3%

Never noticed: 8%

A proper hand wash should take about 15 seconds. Be careful to wash between fingers, tips of fingers and thumbs. Then remember to dry hand with clean towel or tissue paper.

The four dirtiest surfaces at home

Pointers from Hygiene Council’s survey in 18 countries, including India, done in 2013

“In 2° to 4°C, bacteria cannot grow. But because of the number of times the fridge door is opened or intermittent power cuts, the temperature inside remains much higher. So if you eat refrigerated food without proper heating, you may get infection from the food.”

- Dr Narendra Saini

“Thirty-five per cent respondents said they never clean the telephones at home,” says Dr Saini.

What you should do

Clean and dry lunch boxes before putting food in it. Food can get infected if not properly packed. “In a school, where many children were complaining of diarrhoea, we found the schoolbags were being kept in the corridor, where the temperature was about 37°C. If a bag containing tiffin box is kept in cooler temperature, the food stays safe,” says Dr Saini. 37°C is a good temperature for virus growth. So even if you have home-cooked food, that does not protect you from infection.

Raw food should be kept separately from cooked food. Or it should be washed and dried before being put in the refrigerator. Drying is vital as anything wet catches infection quickly.

Toilet Hygiene

● When changing a baby’s nappy/diaper, do so either in a toilet or on a changing mat that has been cleaned and disinfected before and after use. Do not change a nappy/diaper in a food preparation or eating area or near a drinking water source.

● Dispose of soiled nappies/diapers in dedicated sanitary bins and wash your hands with soap and water immediately afterwards.

Surface Hygiene

● While travelling to a mass gathering take surface disinfectant wipes with you or a travel-size spray.

● Wash your hands and disinfect hand contact surfaces such as light switches, door handles and toilet flush handles to help reduce the risk of germs spreading elsewhere.

● Pay particular attention to food contact areas in the kitchen. Always clean and disinfect utensils and chopping boards (after handling raw meat).

● Hotel rooms can be a reservoir for micro-organisms. While rooms may be cleaned, items like the phone, TV remote and door handles may not be routinely cleaned.