Simple hygiene rules to help beat bugs

Thursday June 18th, 2009

Britain needs to rethink its approach to using hygiene to prevent infections - as the public is getting confused, experts warned yesterday.

A new report called for simple messages about hygiene that families can use in their homes.

Experts said different messages were being conveyed about different diseases - such as hospital infections and swine flu.

Author Professor Sally Bloomfield, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK, said: "Although antibiotics and vaccines have given us unprecedented ability to prevent and treat killer diseases, hygiene is still fundamental to winning the battle against infectious disease in both developed and developing countries - and that's a job for all of us.

"This is not about shifting responsibility, it's about facing reality."

She added: "In the current climate where infectious disease agents and our immunity to these agents are constantly changing, we need to return to the 'not-so-good old days' when our parents and grandparents knew that protecting themselves and their families against infectious diseases was part of their responsibility and an important part of daily life."

Another expert Dr Elizabeth Scott, of Simmons College, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, said: "The key to getting people to change their behaviour is to find a way to make hygiene behaviour more appealing and relevant by realigning it with other aspects of healthy living such as diet and exercise.

"People also need to understand that they can be proactive in protecting themselves and reducing their risk of acquiring an infection in their everyday lives."

Tags: Flu & Viruses | MRSA & Hygiene | UK News | Women’s Health & Gynaecology

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