Good hygiene powerful in fighting disease

A new study has revealed that significant reductions in infectious diseases in children under five can be achieved if their families practise good hygiene. This is according to the Reckitt Benckiser company yesterday. Director of shared services at Reckitt Benckiser’s research department Joe Rubino said the study results were an indicator of how powerful good hygiene practices could be in the fight against communicable diseases.

“These results are highly significant and are testimony to the role simple hygiene measures can play in breaking the chain of infection.” Rubino was speaking at the Hygiene Council meeting in Johannesburg. He said the study showed ways to reduce risks associated with morbidity and mortality rates amongst children under five in impoverished communities.

The study was carried out in 2006/7 in Dunoon and Philippi townships in the Western Cape. Out of the 1300 households that were monitored during the study, respiratory infections fell by 75 percent, gastro-intestinal diseases fell by 78 percent, while skin diseases were reduced by 65 percent. In informal shacks that have access to hygienic products the gastro-intestinal diseases were reduced by 77 percent, skin diseases by 75 percent and respiratory infections fell by 57 percent.

Reckitt Benckiser are the manufacturers of Dettol hygiene products. Executive Director of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Barry Schoub, stressed the need to use disinfectants to control the spread of germs. “It is heartening to see South Africans are aware of the need to stop the spread of germs in the home.

However water on its own is not enough as it doesn’t kill the majority of microbes,” Schoub said. Schoub revealed that in a home hygiene study conducted in the United Kingdom, United States of America, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, India and South Africa, the most hygienic samples were from South Africa. He said this study was conducted in Johannesburg with a total of 2000 people taking part.