2. The importance of Good Personal Hygiene
Maintaining personal hygiene is essential for various personal,
social, health, and psychological reasons. Personal hygiene enables
you to avoid the development of infections, illness, and body odors.
The following are examples of good personal hygiene.
1. Wash your body often. Take a bath every day to remove the
bacteria, dust, and dirt that stick on your skin. Wash your body
with soap and water.
2. Brush your teeth every after meal to get rid of gum disease and
tooth decay.
3. Wash your hands with soap after going to the toilet, before
preparing your food, and during normal activities to avoid
disease-causing germs that may get on your hands and under
your nails.
3. 4. Change your clothes every day.
Dirty clothes must be washed with
soap and water. Refrain from
borrowing clothes and other
personal things such as towel,
shirt, underwear, and even socks
and shoes from other people.
5. Cover your nose when sneezing and
coughing to avoid the spread of
diseases.
4. Environmental Sanitation
Cleanliness is one of the essential practices for a clean and healthy
environment. It is necessary that each individual must learn about
cleanliness, hygiene, sanitation, and various diseases that are caried
out through unhealthy surroundings. You can take part in
environmental sanitation by doing the following.
1. Keep your surroundings clean and dispose of garbage properly.
2. Protect the water supply from pollution. Check the pipes, especially
after a storm, to avoid water contamination.
3. Avoid littering in public places. Follow trash segregation at all
times. Separate the the biodegradable from the non-biodegrable
materials.
4. Refrain from spitting on the road and avoid urinating in public
areas.
5. Building up One’s Body Resistance
Eating a proper nutritious meal provides several health benefits that can
keep you physically and mentally fit. Proper nutrition consists of food rich
in protein, carbohydrates, and fat. One must eat a balanced diet meal
composed of go, grow, and glow foods.
Sleeping and resting make you feel better. A child like you must sleep at
least 8 hours a day. Getting enough sleep helps your brain function
properly. It enhances your learning and problem-solving skills. Sleep helps
in healing and repairing your heart and blood vessels.
Regular physical activity is one of the most important thing that you can do
make your body healthy. Regular exercise controls weight; reduce heart
disease, diabetes, and cancer; and strengthens bones and muscles.
6. Regular Health and Dental Checkup
Regular health exams and tests can help detect health problems
before they appear. Early detection of diseases may lead to better
chances of treatment and cure. By having the right health services,
medical exams, screening and treatments, you are taking steps to
have a longer and healthier life.
Regular dental visits are necessary because they keep your gums and
teeth healthy. During a regular dental checkup, the dentist checks
your teeth for cavities to see if there are plaque or tartar. Plaque is a
clear sticky layer of bacteria of the surface of the teeth. If not removed,
it may harden and becomes tartar. Aside from this, the dentist also
performs a thorough cleaning of your teeth. This is done by brushing
and flossing the teeth to remove tartar.
7. Immunizations (Vaccines)
Vaccines are used to boost your immune
system and to prevent serious and life-
threatening diseases. Vaccines help your
body to defend itself against invading
germs, bacteria, and viruses. Vaccines
work by exposing your body to a very small
and safe amount of bacteria that have been
weakened or killed. This helps your
immune system recognize and attack the
infection once your body is used to it. As a
result, you will not become ill or infected.
8. Four types of vaccines
Virus-like vaccines are made up of the weakened form of the virus. Examples
of this kind of vaccines are measles vaccine, mumps vaccine, rubella vaccine,
and chicken pox vaccine.
Killed (inactive) vaccines are created from the protein or other particles taken
from bacteria or virus. Influenza (flu) vaccine is an example of a killed or
inactive vaccine.
Toxoid vaccines are made from a toxin or chemical produced by a bacteria or
virus. They protect the body from the harmful effects of the infection.
Diphtheria or tetanus vaccines are good examples of this type of vaccine.
Biosynthetic vaccines are composed of man-made substances that resemble
the virus or bacteria. Hib (haemophilus influenza type B) conjugate vaccine is
an example of biosynthetic vaccine.
