Collective Hygiene: What It Is, Functions, And How It Is Applied To The Population
No society is fully developed if its citizens do not have well-being, which includes physical, mental and social health.
For there to be good health at the public level, it is necessary that collective hygiene strategies be applied and promoted at the government level, that is, promoting good hygienic habits thinking about the health of oneself and that of others.
Next We will see what collective hygiene is its importance at a social level and we will also identify some behaviors and strategies whose objective is to promote it.
The term collective hygiene refers to all the activities, knowledge and practices that a group of people applies in a generalized manner in order to care for the health of the population These measures can be promoted by government entities, the health and education areas, in addition to this idea also including hygienic habits promoted by families or acquired at an individual level. The development of collective hygiene involves addressing physical, mental and social health.
People are exposed to different factors that can harm our health at different levels, such as urban waste, water quality, use of disease prevention methods (masks, condoms…), diet, exposure to pollutants, stress , sports practice and many more.
Collective hygiene seeks to mitigate the negative impact of harmful factors and promote beneficial ones, applying global strategies in the population and trying to raise awareness about promoting and protecting their health.
What is its importance?
A society in which its citizens do not take adequate responsibility for their health is a society doomed to disaster. In order for every society to develop in the most prosperous and efficient way, it is necessary to enjoy good levels of public health. Collective hygiene promotion strategies are key to protecting public health by educating to the population in the prevention of infectious diseases and diseases associated with nutrition, preventing them from being exposed to contaminants and maintaining adequate hygienic and eating habits.
The well-being of people living in a community, whether it is a large city or a small town, depends on the collective hygiene measures promoted by the administration and carried out by citizens. By making citizens responsible and taking care of their health and hygiene through body care, good management of resources, use of space and the elimination of urban waste, we get them to become actively involved in protecting their health.
Although the measures presented by the administration aim to improve public health in general terms, each member of society is also given a leading role since, thanks to their individual responsibility, the entire population benefits. That is why what many collective hygiene promotion strategies do is promote empathy among citizens towards their family, friends and neighbors letting them know that they, by taking individual responsibility for their health, help protect the health of their loved ones.
There are many examples of measures and habits, both promoted by governments and shared by the people, that help us all be healthy. Many times public health is elevated thanks to small individual gestures of self-care and prevention that prevent the transmission and worsening of diseases, the collapse of public health and the scarcity of resources. Below we will see a few examples.
1. Use of the mask
Due to the pandemic proclaimed in March 2020, the general population has become aware of the importance of wearing a mask. A gesture as simple as wearing a face mask can help avoid getting infected and, in case we have been infected, the mask reduces the chances of us infecting more people. The use of this year’s most representative item of clothing significantly reduces infections and helps prevent health services from collapsing.
2. Physical distance and hand washing
In the same line as the previous point, we have as measures to promote and protect public health respecting physical distance and washing hands frequently to reduce the probability of contagion of COVID-19. Physical distance (rather than social) should be at least 2 meters, although more than 5 is preferred and always wearing a mask, this being the perfect combo to avoid getting infected if you come across someone who is infected.
Washing hands with soap or approved disinfectant is the best habit to protect ourselves from the virus in case we have been unlucky enough to touch a source of infection, something we will never be sure of. If it is done with soap, we should count about 30 seconds before rinsing our hands and always avoid touching anything in the house before washing our hands, keeping our home “pure” from the virus and not turning it into a death trap in which our loved ones they end up getting infected.
3. Quick tests and temperature taking
Another point related to the pandemic and directly related to government administration and health organizations are rapid tests and temperature taking. With them The aim is to carry out rapid screening and detect possible positive cases early If you have suspicions, what is recommended is to do a PCR and a preventive quarantine, preventing it from infecting many more people if it is a real contagion.
4. Food handling and hand washing
It is essential that workers who prepare, dispense or serve food, such as cooks, bakers, waiters, fruit sellers and others, wash their hands frequently, wear gloves and keep their establishments clean. While it is almost common sense that you should maintain good hygiene habits if you work with food, In these professions there is strong regulation that ensures that this is the case
Where there is no regulation is in the sale of street food. Street vendors are not obliged by any company to wash their hands since they are free. Both the seller of cut fruit on the street and the one who serves us mojitos on the beach may have dirty hands, not having washed them after going to the bathroom, and serving us foods with fecal bacteria. This is why, as a measure of individual responsibility, we should under no circumstances buy street food in pandemic contexts.
Before the modern sewage system was invented, it was customary in every home to take the excrement after defecating and throw it away from the house shouting “Water goes!”, ending up in the street and hoping that Nature will end up eliminating them. Thank God we no longer live in that time where hygiene was conspicuous by its absence and in which we ran the risk of bathing in the stool of a total stranger if we walked down the street absentmindedly.
Human feces, no matter how “natural” they are, cannot be left just anywhere. These wastes are a source of pathogens highly infectious in case they rot, which is why it is necessary that we have a sewage system that takes them well away from the urban center and ends up in a place where they do not pose a danger to public health. They must be eliminated in a safe and controlled manner, so that the environment, drinking water or crop fields are not contaminated.
6. Water supply and protection
Without water there is no hygiene and much less will there be collective hygiene. Water is a necessary resource to guarantee the well-being of people but, unfortunately, it has a finite duration Therefore, as measures of good collective hygiene, government plans are drawn up to prevent this resource from being wasted, managing it in times of drought and ensuring that it reaches everywhere.
If there is no water, there is no hygiene and it is a matter of time before people start to get sick from problems associated with not being able to shower, wash their hands, teeth and face, especially from infectious diseases that can also be transmitted from one person to another. to others. It may also be that this water is dirty, which is why strategies are applied as collective hygiene measures to prevent it from being contaminated with external agents, such as solid waste, chemicals and excrement.
7. Water purification
In addition to making sure that everyone has water, it is very important that they can also drink it. Within the idea of collective hygiene, the idea of making water drinkable cannot be missing since if people cannot hydrate themselves correctly they are more likely to fall ill and become poisoned. Water purification can be carried out both in large cities and in more rural areas
In large cities this is very important because it usually happens that the development of the large city has dried up natural wells and springs, which could have water suitable for human consumption. This is why in these nuclei it is necessary to have water treatment plants that extract water from different sources and purify it to ensure that it does not contain pathogens or heavy metals.
It is common for rural areas to have access to a natural source of water. Although this is usually valued very positively and many people go to them to drink water that they believe is “healthier,” there are several risks involved. One of them is that the sources, Natural springs and rivers can be contaminated and since this water does not go through a purification process, its consumption is not recommended Therefore, even when in the countryside, it is much safer to drink bottled or tap water.
Public spaces must be kept clean, using cleaning products and disinfectants to prevent the spread of diseases and pests. Places such as elevators, offices, shopping centers, parks and hospitals must be disinfected very frequently, in order to prevent that if one of its users has an infectious disease it can be transmitted to many more people
Public roads must also be cleaned to prevent any organic remains from rotting or being eaten by animals such as wild cats, rats, pigeons, seagulls and others. These animals can very easily become accustomed to the food that humans give them, either intentionally (e.g., giving them bread crumbs) or accidentally (e.g., rummaging through the trash), which makes They have a longer life expectancy, reproduce more and become a pest that can transmit all types of diseases.
9. Control of farm animals
Farm animals should be kept away from residential areas and sources of water for human consumption. so that, in case they become infected with a disease, they do not transmit it to people
The farm must be isolated from urban centers so that sick animals can be slaughtered and the place sanitized without having to apply a preventive quarantine to the human population. Appropriate controls must also be made to ensure that the meat and animal products from that farm are not contaminated and cause a public health problem (e.g., case of shredded meat).
10. Promotion of good nutrition
Having a balanced diet protects us from all types of diseases, malnutrition and nutrient deficits, which strengthens our health. Promoting good eating habits is a very important collective hygiene measure that helps not only improve public health but also acts as a prevention factor for the collapse of health services
11. Education
Although much progress has been made in the promotion of hygienic habits, today there is still a lot of ignorance and neglect regarding the maintenance of a clean home, self-care and body hygiene. This is why it is so necessary education in a healthy lifestyle being taught in schools and institutes
The government, the education sector and the health sector must present programs to raise awareness and promote good individual health and highlight how important this is at a societal level.
12. Provision of good health services
If people do not have good access to health services, water, good food, and hygiene and cleanliness elements, one cannot expect that, magically, there will be high public health.
One of the most common causes of death in various communities is lack of access to health services, in which measures can be taken to prevent potentially fatal and infectious diseases if they are not detected in time. This is why, although education is important to ensure that people take care of themselves and have responsible habits towards themselves and others, governments must apply social measures that guarantee the general well-being of the population. If there are very disadvantaged classes in a society, with a lack of resources, poor sanitation and poor nutrition, sooner or later health problems will arise that, whether we like it or not, will end up affecting society as a whole.
