CoVID-19 and Personal Hygiene

 What is hygiene? Series of daily life practices, conducive to maintain a healthy lifestyle, promoting well-being by preventing occurrence and spread of disease is known as hygiene.

According to World Health Organization (WHO),

'Hygiene refers to conditions & practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases' [i]

Importance of maintaining hygiene;

Good personal hygiene bears great importance in maintaining healthy social interactions. Keeping your body clean not only keeps your own self healthy but it is also important in preventing spread of infections hence protecting those around us too. The incidence of CoVID pandemic has highlighted the importance of personal hygiene and people around the world have adopted personal hygiene routine to stay safe from the spreading virus.

Personal hygiene is also important religiously. Cleanliness is paramount to worship in different religions of the world. These include Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Sikhism which practice personal hygiene routine for performing their daily religious chores. Washing hands, performing ablution and bathing in holy waters has been taught and practiced in religious activities since many years.

 

How to start personal hygiene routine? [ii]

I've listed few easy and simple steps which you can follow to stay clean and get rid of all the harmful germs that lead to infections, illness and bad odor.

Hand washing;

Hands are one of the primary carriers of germs. This is because hands are constantly being used for greeting each other, touching surfaces, eating, playing or doing any type of work. Washing hands regularly will easily prevent illnesses such as flu, cough, common cold and GIT infections. It is important to wash hands at the following occasions:

·         Before cooking and eating food

·         Before holding a baby

·         After using the toilet

·         After coughing or sneezing

·         After visiting an ill person

·         After touching/handling animals

·         After leaving hospital

 

Dental hygiene;

Keeping your teeth clean and maintaining good dental hygiene helps in protecting the gums and teeth. It also helps in getting rid of bad odor and oral infections.

Always make sure that you brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss then regularly. Don't forget to replace your toothbrush once every three months, especially after having a dental infection.

Bathing;

Bathing daily with a good antibacterial soap will kill the bacteria responsible for producing bad body odor. Skin infections such as athlete’s foot could be prevented by thoroughly washing and drying the affected area.

Itchy scalp, dandruff and head lice can be avoided by washing hair regularly with a good shampoo.

 Clothing hygiene;

The buildup of dirt and germs on clothes could be prevented by using a good antiseptic detergent. Washing clothes of an ill person is important to prevent spread of infection by contact with the clothes.

 

The massive spread of CoVID has made hand washing and other personal hygiene activities compulsory for everyone. It is important to continue the habits we have adopted during the pandemic to contribute in the development of a healthy, infection-free global atmosphere.

References:

[i]  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygiene#:~:text=Hygiene%20is%20a%20series%20of,to%20maintaining%20the%20body's%20cleanliness.

[ii] https://www.dettol.com.ng/personal-hygiene/healthy-body/the-importance-of-personal-hygiene/#:~:text=Good%20personal%20hygiene%20is%20very,protect%20those%20around%20you%20too.

Is Hepatitis more lethal than CoVID?

With around 325 million cases yearly and 1.35 million deaths worldwide per year, Hepatitis is one of the most deadly viral infections after HIV, tuberculosis and even CoVID. The sudden and rapid rise of the pandemic took all the attention although many other health conditions are still prevalent in the world and are increasing with the same pace.

What is hepatitis? Hepatitis or inflammation of liver is a common viral infection which causes yellow coloration of skin and eyes, loss of appetite, fatigue, pain in abdomen and diarrhea.

Hepatitis may be acute or chronic; the earlier heals within 6 months of infection whereas the later may cause severe conditions such as cirrhosis, failure of liver or hepatic cancer.

How is Hepatitis caused?

 Hepatitis A, B, C, D and E are most commonly caused by viral infection. Other causes include alcohol abuse and over consumption, medication and autoimmune disease in which the healthy liver cells are destroyed by the body's own immune cells.

How is Hepatitis transmitted? 

Mode of transmission of hepatitis varies according to the type of virus and is summarized as follows:

Hepatitis A: contaminated food and water

Hepatitis B: sexually transmitted

Hepatitis C: transfusion of infected blood or use of infected tools (syringes, blades, razors etc.)

Hepatitis D: infects people who have already been infected with Hepatitis B

Hepatitis E: contaminated food and water

 Sign and symptoms:

The clinical presentation of hepatitis may vary from complete absence of symptoms to severe cirrhosis or even liver failure. Commonly observed symptoms of Hepatitis include;

Loss of appetite

Nausea and vomiting

Tiredness and fatigue

Pain in the upper side of the body beneath the last ribs

Dark urine

Pain in joints

Yellow coloration of skin and eyes

 Diagnostic procedures:

Diagnosis of Hepatitis is done on the following basis;

 Sign and symptoms of patient

Blood screening

Biopsy

Histopathological and serological analysis

 Prevention of hepatitis:

Occurrence of hepatitis could be reduced by taking the following measures;

Vaccination of Hepatitis A and B.

Avoid sharing infected needles and personal hygiene tools like blades and razors.

Get tattoos and piercings from professionals having hygienic setup/work environment.

Practice safe sexual activities.

Drink bottled water while traveling.

 

According to WHO, approximately 325 million people worldwide get infected with Hepatitis every year, A total of 4.5 million deaths could be prevented by the year 2030 if Low and Middle income countries (LMICs) follow vaccination and awareness programmes to let the general public know about the risks of hepatitis and it's effective precautionary measures.

CoVID-19 and health issues of developing countries

CoVID pandemic has emerged as a global health crisis and proved to be a threat for the survival and well-being of every individual on the planet. It has become a serious challenge for the health care providers worldwide to cope with the ever increasing demand of personnel and equipment in the health care facilities as the CoVID pandemic continues to disseminate to even the remotest areas of the globe.

Although every country of the world has adopted the pandemic management policies given by World Health Organization (WHO) and the developed countries; the lock-down, self-quarantine, quarantine at centralized locations and increasing the production and supply of equipment did no good to the underdeveloped nations and rapid rise in infections is seen even after the adoption of all WHO-enlisted SOPs.

Most of the underdeveloped and developing nations have poor ambulance and emergency transport facilities. A large number of patients are left unaddressed due to the lack of inadequate hospital infrastructure.

Lack of ventilators and Personnel protective equipment (PPE) is the major issue being faced by low to middle income countries (LMICs). Although, the international bodies like WHO and World Bank have made policies to aid the sufferings of crippled economies, the condition keeps on worsening as the number of patients continues to increase.

Due to the limited staff available in hospitals, the working hours have extended leading to stressful work routine. The hospital staff has to work overtime without being paid for it.

Lack of awareness about SOPs of self-quarantine is one of the main causes of spread of infection. This is observed mostly in crowded areas and regions where trend of large families living in a single home, prevails.

The proliferation of disease couldn't be prevented in areas where terms like personal hygiene are not known. Places where the availability of the most basic necessities of life is scarce, goals of sanitization and sterilization are hard to achieve.

 

With awareness to the public and financial support to the struggling economies, the pandemic could be brought under control until our best hope for the development of a vaccine, fulfills.

Role of Vitamin C in CoVID-19

As I observed the increased usage of Vitamin C supplements and their disappearance  from the market all of a sudden, I wrote this article to help you understand the various effects of Vitamin C on immunity; it's effectiveness in management of CoVID-19 symptoms and its proper usage.

Vitamin C or Ascorbic  Acid is an important nutritional component which performs various functions in the human body. Its potent antioxidant activity prevents cellular damage and aging. It is a part of several important metabolic pathways which build up our immune health

Functions of vitamin C:

Vitamin C is one of the safest and most widely used nutrient supplements. This is attributed to its wide range of effects on human body. These include its effect on immunity, prenatal health of the mother and fetus, effects on eye and its benefits in eye diseases. It's most important function is its antioxidant activity which prevents wrinkles and aging.

Let's have a look at the effects of Vitamin C in various health conditions:

Common cold:

Vitamin C may not be a cure to common cold but it definitely helps in the prevention of serious complications. According to various studies, vitamin C can largely prevents the risk of development of complications like lung infections or pneumonia.

Stroke:

According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the higher the concentration of Vitamin C in the blood, lower is the risk of stroke as it reduces the risk by 42%. This is observed mostly in people who consume large of amount of fruits and vegetables and have a surplus amount of Vitamin C in their blood.

Skin conditions:

Studies have proved that a higher intake of vitamin C reduces wrinkles and keeps the skin fresh and young with the growing age.

It prevents dryness of skin and helps in retaining moisture.

Other studies show that vitamin C aids in reducing inflammation. It also assists in anticancer treatment as well as cardiovascular diseases.

Ascorbic acid is also necessary for the absorption of iron.

It helps in healing of wounds.

It allows maintenance of muscular and skeletal structures.

The antioxidant activity of vitamin C protects the body from the damaging effects of free radicals. It also protects against harmful chemicals and toxins which are originated from pollutants such as chlorofluorocarbons, nicotine etc.

Sources of Vitamin C:

Vegetables and fruits are the richest source of vitamin C.

Fruits having the highest concentration of vitamin C include the following:

Citrus fruits and their juices (for example orange, lemon, grapefruit)

Kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa)

Mango (Magnifiers indica)

Papaya (Carica papaya)

Pineapple (Ananas comosus)

Berries (raspberries, blueberries, cranberries)

Watermelon (Citrullus linatus)

Cantaloupe (Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis)

Vegetables having the highest amount of vitamin C include the following:

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. Italics)

Brussels sprouts ((Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera)

Cauliflower ((Brassica oleracea var. botrytis)

Pepper (both green and red)

Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas)

White potatoes (Solanum tuberosum)

Winter squash (Curcubita moschata)

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea)

Cabbage ((Brassica oleracea var. capitata)

Green part of turnip (Brassica rapa subs. rapa)

Leafy vegetables

Recommended daily Allowance (RDA) of vitamin C:

The recommended daily Allowance (RDA) of vitamins refers to the amount of vitamin that is safe to use each day. The RDA depends on many factors such as age, gender, body weight, health conditions such as pregnancy or any disease or illness.

The RDA of vitamin C intake for various age groups is as follows;

Kids/Infants:

New born to 6 months of age: 40* milli grams per day (mg/day)

7 to 12 months of age: 50* milli grams per day (mg/day)

*Adequate intake (AI)

Children:

1 to 3 years of age: 15 milli grams per day (mg/day)

4 to 8 years of age: 25 milli grams per day (mg/day)

9 to 13 years of age: 45 milli grams per day (mg/day)

Adolescent (boys and girls):

Teenage girls: 65 milligrams per day

Teenage pregnant girls: 80 milligrams per day

Nursing teenage girls: 115 milligrams per day

Teenage boys: 75 milligrams per day

Adults:

Men (19 years of age and above): 90 milligrams per day

Women (19 years of age and above): 75 milligrams per day

Nursing women: 120 milligrams per day

Smokers (both active and passive): more than 35 milligrams per day.

 

Consult your health care provider and follow his advice before starting the use of any supplement.

The 90 mg per day Daily Value (DV) of vitamin C could be easily met if your diet includes fruits and vegetables. This is because Vitamin C is abundantly present in fruits and veggies, orange for instance, contains 77% of the daily value and a cup of cooked broccoli could provide 112% of the total DV. So, if you are having a good and regular intake of fruits and vegetables, your immune system is all set to combat.

Vitamin C & immunity:

Vitamin C affects immune system mainly through its antioxidant activity. It helps reduce inflammation which is the first reaction of body to any foreign intrusion. The Reduction in inflammation allows significant improvement in immunity.

Vitamin C is also essential for healthy skin as it increases collagen synthesis. This allows the skin to serve as a physical barrier to keep the foreign substances outside the body. Collagen also allows healing of the wounds.

Vitamin C improves the activity of phagocytes and lymphocytes. Phagocytes are immune cells which engulf microorganisms whereas lymphocytes increase the concentration of antibodies in the blood circulation. These two steps are vital for immune response.

Vitamin C and it's usage in CoVID-19:

Various Chinese medical institutions have approved the use of Vitamin C for the management of symptoms of CoVID-19. According to the Chinese Journal of infectious Diseases, it increases the healing of infected lung by 18.2%. Although the use of Vitamin C for the treatment of CoVID-19 is still being tested and no evidence supports it's usage as the treatment option for Corona Virus Disease, its use and effectiveness as an immunity booster is well established. People with weak immune system can definitely use vitamin C supplements to prevent the risk of developing corona virus disease.