Taking charge of personal hygiene
Good personal hygiene is important to protect yourself from getting diseases such as colds and flu. Additionally, maintaining good personal hygiene also reduces the risk of spreading diseases toother people.
Some diseases that may be caused by germs due to poor hygiene include:
- Infectious diseases such as the common cold
- Respiratory infections such as the flu
- Eye infections such as conjunctivitis
- Staph infections
- Tooth decay
- Diarrhoea
Germs often bring diseases, and can be passed to others through touching, handling contaminated food, or coming into contact with dirty surfaces or objects. To protect yourselves and others, it is important to carry out activities to maintain good personal hygiene, such as:
- Washing your hands with soap regularly, especially before preparing food, before eating and after going to the toilet
- Cleaning your body every day
- Brushing your teeth daily
- Covering your mouth and nose with a tissue (or your sleeve), or wearing a face mask when sneezing or coughing
- Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces you use regularly such as benchtops, desks and doorknobs
- Cleaning and disinfecting objects you regularly often such as mobile phones, keys, wallets and work passes
