BACTERIA are mostly disease-causing microorganisms, invisible to the naked eyes, and widely distributed in our environment. Scientific studies indicate they live in the soil, water and air. Yet others live in animals including humans, and plants as parasites. Though not all bacteria are harmful, some cause ill health by producing poisons that could be deadly in the body of humans.
On a daily basis, humans come in contact with bacteria, picking them up with bare fingers from surfaces and objects. Their impact become real when the bacteria-contaminated hands are used to pick up food and eat, unwittingly transporting the harmful organisms down the gullet straight to the stomach. Here they flourish, producing poisons that impair human health.
Generally, adults and children alike fall victims of bacterial infections but children are most vulnerable. While adults occasionally remember to wash their hands before ingesting any food, solid or liquid, children hardly ever do. While rushing to eat with unwashed hands, they also forget to wash the fruits they eat, which naturally have some of the organisms resting on them.
Though some persons have strong immunity against bacterial diseases, they still hit their victims in scary ways. The diseases include but not limited to diphtheria, dysentery, food poisoning, measles, polio myelitis, tuberculosis, typhoid, cholera and yellow fever. Victims of the above are expected to rush to the nearest medical facility for immediate medical attention. Often health facilities are overwhelmed by such cases.
Most of the above infections could easily be prevented by mere washing of hands with soap and water: thorough washing of the palms, in-between the fingers, back of the hands, and up to the elbows. Alcohol-based solutions could also be very useful in hand-washing.
Bacterial infections are as prevalent in urban areas as they are in rural settings. Cultures that promote their spread include poor refuse management by individuals and the public, unhygienic environments, open defecation, lack of public toilet facilities, etc.
Diseases that flow from bacterial infections are frightening. They could lead to epidemics, occasioning hospitalization of victims; huge financial costs are involved by both victims and government to secure treatment; victims are laid off their endeavors during their period of sickness whether as workers or students; deaths; loss of earnings; and public panic as was the case few years ago when Nigeria was hit by yellow fever.
The foregoing are reasons that account for the seriousness with which the issue of hand washing is taken so seriously by government and the global community including the World Health Organization (WHO). Prevention, an ancient medical truth says, is better than cure. When the necessary washing of hands and allied health practices are fully deployed, individuals and the general public will be healthier.
We join millions of citizens to urge sustained national enlightenment campaign to inform and educate the people on the benefits of hand-washing at all times. This advocacy campaign should not be borne by public institutions alone. The support of faith-based organisations, traditional institutions and non-governmental agencies should be enlisted.
At home as in schools, parents and teachers should inculcate in children the values of hand-washing, as well as providing the necessary points for the hygienic exercise. This should further apply to corporate organisations as was the case during the COVID-19 epidemic.
Moreover, the issue of sanitation at homes, public places, commercial centres and public educational institutions should be re-invigorated to keep the communities clean and reduce to the barest minimum habitats where bacteria flourish. It’s also our strong view that individuals plus infants should be exposed to greater personal hygiene by having their bath regularly to keep them relatively free from bacteria.
As said earlier, it is by far cheaper to prevent diseases and sicknesses than spending exorbitantly to obtain treatment. For a healthier citizenry, hand-washing as simple as it is, is the way to go.
