Collective hygiene: what it is, its functions, and how it applies to the population.

These are the characteristics and goals of collective hygiene measures.

No society is fully developed if its citizens do not have well-being, which includes physical, mental and social health.

In order for there to be good health at the public level, it is necessary at the governmental level to apply and promote collective hygiene strategies, that is, to promote good hygienic habits with the health of oneself and others in mind.

In the following we will see what collective hygiene isIts importance at a social level and we will also identify some behaviors and strategies whose objective is to promote it.

What is collective hygiene?

The term collective hygiene refers to all the activities, knowledge and practices that a group of people apply in a generalized way in order to take care of the health of the population.. These measures can be promoted by governmental entities, health and education areas, as well as hygienic habits promoted by families or acquired at the individual level. The development of collective hygiene involves addressing physical, mental and social health.

People are exposed to different factors that can damage 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 the beneficial ones, applying global strategies in the population and trying to raise awareness of their health promotion and protection. and trying to make them aware of the promotion and protection of their health.

How important is it?

A society in which its citizens do not take adequate responsibility for their health is a society doomed to disaster. In order to develop in the most prosperous and efficient way in any society, it is necessary to enjoy good levels of public health. Collective hygiene promotion strategies are key to protecting public health by educating the population in disease prevention. the population in the prevention of infectious and nutrition-related diseases, avoiding exposure to contaminants and maintaining proper hygienic and nutritional habits.

The well-being of people living in a community, be it a large city or a small town, depends on the collective hygiene measures promoted by the administration and carried out by the citizens. Getting citizens to be responsible and take care of their health and hygiene by means of body care, good resource management, space utilization and urban waste disposal will get them actively involved in the protection of their health.

Although the measures presented by the administration are aimed at improving public health in general terms, each member of society is also given a leading role, since their individual responsibility benefits the entire population. For this reason, many collective hygiene promotion strategies are designed to encourage citizens' empathy for 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.by letting them know that they, by taking individual responsibility for their health, help protect the health of their loved ones.

Collective hygiene habits and measures.

There are many examples of measures and habits, both promoted by governments and shared by the people, that help everyone to be healthy. Public health is often improved thanks to small individual gestures of self-care and prevention that prevent the transmission and aggravation of diseases, the collapse of public health and the scarcity of resources. Here are a few examples.

1. Mask use

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 mouth mask can help prevent us from becoming infected. and, in case we have been infected, the mask reduces the chances of infecting more people. The use of this year's most representative article of clothing significantly reduces contagions and helps prevent health services from collapsing.

2. Physical distance and hand washing

Along the same lines as the previous point, public health promotion and protection measures include respecting physical distance and frequent hand washing to reduce the likelihood of COVID-19 infection. The physical (rather than social) distance should be at least 2 meters, although more than 5 meters is preferred, and always wearing a mask, which is the perfect combo to avoid infection in the event of crossing paths with someone who is infected.

Hand washing with soap or an approved disinfectant is the best habit to protect us from the virus in case we have been unlucky enough to touch a source of infection, something we can never be sure of. in case we have been unlucky enough to touch a source of infection, something we can 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" of the virus and not turning it into a death trap in which our loved ones end up getting infected.

3. Quick tests and temperature taking

Another point related to the pandemic and directly related to government administration and health agencies are the rapid tests and temperature taking. These are intended for rapid screening and are intended for rapid screening and early detection of possible positive cases.. In case of suspicions, what is recommended is to perform a PCR and a preventive quarantine, avoiding that in case of a real contagion, many more people could be infected.

4. Food handling and hand washing

It is essential that workers who process, dispense or serve food, such as cooks, bakers, waiters, greengrocers and others, wash their hands frequently, wear gloves and keep their establishments clean. While it is almost common sense that good hygienic habits should be maintained if you work with food, in these professions there is strong regulation, there is strong regulation in these professions to ensure that this is the case..

Where there is no regulation at all is in street food vending. Street vendors are not obliged by any company to wash their hands as they are self-employed. Both the vendor of cut fruit in 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 food with fecal bacteria. This is why, as a measure of individual responsibility, we should not under any circumstances buy street food in pandemic contexts.

5. Excreta disposal

Before the modern sewage system was invented, it was customary in every household that, after defecating, the excrement was picked up and thrown away from the house with the cry of "Water, it goes", ending up in the street and waiting for nature to eliminate it. Thank God we no longer live in that time where hygiene was conspicuous by its absence and where we ran the risk of bathing in the excrement of a total stranger if we were absent-mindedly walking down the street.

Human feces, no matter how "natural" they are, cannot be left just anywhere. This waste is a source of highly infectious pathogens if it rots. highly infectious pathogens if they rot, which is why it is necessary to have a sewage system that carries them well away from the urban center and they end up in a place where they do not pose a danger to public health. They must be disposed of in a safe and controlled manner, so as not to contaminate the environment, drinking water or crop fields.

6. Water supply and protection

Without water there is no hygiene, much less will there be collective hygiene. Water is a necessary resource to ensure people's well-being but, unfortunately, it has a finite lifespan.. Therefore, as measures of good collective hygiene, government plans are developed to avoid wasting this resource, managing it in times of drought and ensuring that it reaches everywhere.

If there is no water, there is no hygiene, and it is only a matter of time before people start getting 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 to another. The water may also be dirty, which is why, as collective hygiene measures, strategies are applied to prevent it from being contaminated by external agents, such as solid waste, chemicals and excrement.

7. Water purification

In addition to ensuring that all people have 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 left out, since if people cannot hydrate themselves correctly they are more likely to fall ill and become intoxicated. Water purification can be carried out both in large cities and in more rural areas..

In big cities this is very important because it usually happens that the development of the big city has dried wells and natural springs, which could have water suitable for human consumption. This is why in these centers it is necessary to have drinking 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 in rural areas to have access to a natural water source. Although this is often highly valued and many people go to them to drink water that they believe to be "healthier", there are several risks. One of them is that the sources, springs and natural rivers can be contaminated, natural springs and rivers can be contaminated and as this water does not go through a process of potabilization it is not recommended to drink it.. Therefore, even in the countryside, it is much safer to drink bottled or tap water.

8. Cleanliness of public places

Public spaces should be kept clean, using cleaning products and disinfectants to prevent the spread of diseases and pests. Places such as elevators, offices, shopping malls, parks and hospitals should be disinfected very frequently, in order to avoid that if one of its users has an infectious disease, it can be transmitted to many more people..

The public thoroughfare should also be cleaned to prevent any organic debris from rotting or being eaten by animals such as feral cats, rats, pigeons, seagulls and so on. These animals can very easily become accustomed to the food given to them by humans, either intentionally (e.g., giving them breadcrumbs) or by accident (e.g., scavenging), which causes them to have a longer life expectancy, reproduce more and become a pest that can transmit all kinds 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 catch a disease, they do not transmit it to people..

The farm should be isolated from urban centers so that sick animals can be slaughtered and the site sanitized without having to preventively quarantine the human population. Adequate controls should also be in place to ensure that meat and animal products from the farm are not contaminated and cause a public health problem (e.g., larded meat).

10. Promoting good nutrition

Having a balanced diet protects us from all kinds of diseases, malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies and thus strengthens our health. Promoting good eating habits is a very important collective hygiene measure that not only helps to improve public health but also acts as a preventive factor for colds, acts as a preventive factor for the collapse of health services..

11. Education

Although much progress has been made in promoting hygienic habits, there is still a lot of ignorance and laziness in terms of maintaining a clean home, self-care and body hygiene. This is why it is so necessary healthy lifestyle education taught in schools and colleges is so necessary..

The government, the education sector and the health sector should present programs to raise awareness and promote good individual health and emphasize how important this is at the societal level.

12. Provision of good health services

If people do not have good access to health services, water, good food, and elements of hygiene and cleanliness, it cannot be expected that, magically, there will be high public health.

One of the most common causes of death in many communities is lack of access to health services.In these areas, measures can be taken to prevent potentially fatal and infectious diseases if they are not detected in time. Therefore, while education is important to ensure that people take care of themselves and have responsible habits towards themselves and others, governments must implement social measures to ensure the general welfare of the population. If in a society there are very disadvantaged classes, with a lack of resources, poor sanitation and poor nutrition, sooner or later health problems will arise that, whether we want them to or not, will end up affecting society as a whole.

Bibliographical references

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