Download Personal Hygiene Points

Personal Hygiene Points
• The 7 Habits of Healthy Students
Someone coughs or sneezes in the classroom.
Millions of germs become airborne. You may
breathe them or they may settle on the
objects around you. When you touch those
objects and then touch your nose with your
infected hands, you may have started the
process of becoming sick.
• This is a daily threat to students, teachers and
the families they go home to.
It's no secret to parents that their children can
bring home colds and flu from school. A cough
or a sneeze can spread many feet in the
confined space of a classroom. It seems like
once one child gets sick many others follow.
• This is no illusion. Infections spread due to the
proximity of classmates in crowded
environments and the subsequent prevalence
of objects on which germs are deposited.
Most colds and flu are acquired by getting
germs on your hands and then touching your
nose. Hot spots for germ deposits are
bathrooms, desks, doors, the computer
keyboard, the mouse and the like. Even the
pencil one student shares with another.
• According to research conducted by the
Centers for Disease Control, among students
in kindergarten through 12th grade at public
schools, the transmission of communicable
diseases such as viral and bacterial infections
is responsible for more than 164 million lost
school days per school year.
• The 7 Habits of Healthy Students listed below
contains key proactive steps with the school
and home environment in mind. The list
includes advice from infectious disease
specialists, the Centers of Disease Control
(www.cdc.gov) the World Health Organization
(www.who.int) and other insights that could
help reduce the risk of infection
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Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly, with plenty of soap and running
water for at least 20 seconds.
Use hand sanitizers. It’s not always convenient to wash your hands, so alcohol
based sanitizers can help fill the gaps when you are away from the sink. You can
use sanitizers or alcohol wipes in the classroom at your seat.
Refrain from touching your eyes, mouth and especially your nose. The nose is the
chief site of infection by germs that cause colds, flu, strep and other disease.
Be careful of re-infection. Washing and using hand sanitizers can get rid of most
the germs that already exist on your hands, but these methods are only effective
for a period of seconds. Your hands can easily be re-infected as soon as they come
in contact with new germs. Then, if you touch your nose, the germs can enter your
body.
Stay well hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
Maintain your general health through exercise, plenty of rest and good nutrition.
Spread the word to help stop the spread of germs. Share this list with friends,
family and classmates. You want as many people to know about this advice as
possible. If you’re lucky, the whole class will learn and practice these healthy
habits.
Other points to Remember
• Do not use others: towels, combs, razors,
toothbrushes, and underclothing.
• Dry your feet thoroughly after washing
• Cover all cuts, burns and sores and change dressings
regularly – pay extra attention to any open wounds on
hands and arms.
• Replace the sponge frequently. Sponges and scrubbers
provide the warm, moist conditions and trapped food
particles on which bacteria thrive. The bacteria can
multiply, increasing from a few to millions in a matter
of hours. Use a different implement for each cleaning
task in the kitchen and bathroom.
• Don't Drink Soda or Sports Drinks
Soda and Sports Drinks eat away at tooth enamel and coats
your teeth with enamel-destroying plaque, two dental
hygiene no-no's. Switch out soda for tea, water, milk or
juice
• Swish with Mouthwash
If you have problems with halitosis, swish with mouthwash
throughout the day to fight bad breath. Avoid drinking
coffee or eating garlic, onions or stinky cheese; brush
vigorously and often in addition to using mouthwash. Check
with your dentist to make sure there is not any underlying
medical issues contributing to your problem; an infection is
a common cause of halitosis. Once you have eliminated the
possibility of a medical problem, continue using good
hygiene practices.