Written By: Esieboma Oghenerobo Joy.
Hi guys! Let’s shake some tables without mincing words, shall we?
It goes without gainsaying, that most people are more bothered about money than their health; that is, at least until some serious medical condition arrests their attention. While we’re all in the hustle to make more money and live our dream lives, it is important to note that ignoring your health mostly leads to spending more money trying to improve or maintain a declining health.
Among the leading causes of sickness and death in low and middle income countries, are infectious diseases caused by microorganisms; including diarrhea’, tuberculosis and malaria amongst others. And more recently, with the COVID-19 pandemic, we have all had reminders of just how easily microorganisms that cause diseases can be spread. These microorganisms are mostly inadvertently transferred during the daily activities of a very busy global population.
Here are some of the least likely places (or activities) you might have never thought of picking microorganisms from:
- Public commuting
In most metropolitan cities, the day begins early with a large number of people on the roads commuting to work or school. A good number of these commuters rely on public transport systems, and in the process they come in very close contact with each other. They also come in contact with unclean surfaces (and money) that other commuters have used or touched. Most commuters are predisposed to several infections and sometimes expose others to microbes they carry in the course of their daily activities. - Handshakes
As an obvious sign of affection and greeting, handshakes are a vital part of our daily routines. It has been said that an average person will shake about 15000 hands in a lifetime, and most likely a good number of these people don’t bother with the hygienic practice of regular hand washing (this number might include you…lol!). - Phones
The digital age has been underway for a while now and mobile phones are still ‘all the rage’. People can hardly spend moments away from their phones, and are constantly chatting or on calls. Public phones found in offices and phone booths are equally in constant use. These gadgets are almost always in use, and almost never cleaned. They serve as perfect reservoirs for microbes they collect and transfer to humans. - Handbags and Backpacks
Don’t we all love to think of our bags as mobile houses? Lol! The average person probably lugs around a ton of things they ‘might need’ on a daily basis, and cleans out their bag once in a blue moon. Sometimes, people have to go into rest rooms with their bags or place them in unclean places. Bags are certainly good environment for microbial colonies! - Door handles and stationery
Consider that you will indirectly shake a whole lot of people that you might never meet in the course of your daily activities. Doors for public places like banks, restrooms & schools have a mix of microbes that can be spread very rapidly. Also, sharing stationery like pens provided at ‘public desks’ where people might need to fill forms is another fast way of spreading microbes.
If you consider the above sources/ reservoirs of microorganisms to be interesting, even more interesting is the fact that while it may be impossible to contain your exposure to these organisms, you can protect yourself and the people around you by observing proper personal hygiene measures.
Practices like washing your hands before and after cooking, eating or using the toilet go a long way to limit the spread of microbes and rid you of the ones you might have picked. In instances where it would be inconvenient to wash your hands, a hand sanitizer might be handy. In addition, coughing and sneezing into hankies or the crook of your elbows is a better practice than coughing into your palms or the air.
Proper disposal of waste, bathing, brushing and wearing clean clothes are also very important. In summary, institutions need to adopt a ‘Health promoting culture’ that encourages members and employees to be conscious of and care for their health starting from little personal hygiene measures.
