How to Prevent Diarrhoea from Spreading

Got A Rough Case of the Loosies?

Over 1.5 million children under five years of age die each year as a result of diarrhoea. It is the second most common cause of child death worldwide. Hand washing with soap at critical times, including before eating or preparing food and after using the toilet, can reduce the prevalence this disease by more than 40 percent, according to figures released by UNICEF India.

Diarrhoea is one of the most common communicable diseases affecting children and adults alike in India. It is mainly caused by contaminated water and poor sanitation. Some of the other communicable diseases are pneumonia, common cold, dengue, malaria and chikungunya. One of the best and most effective ways of stopping these communicable diseases from spreading is by maintaining proper sanitation and cleanliness.

How to Prevent the Infection from Spreading

Given below are some points that can help prevent the spread of germs, thereby protecting you from the risk of contracting a communicable disease.

• Hand Washing – It is probably one of the first and most important tenets of disease prevention. You must wash your hands after using the washroom, before eating snacks or any other food, before and after food preparation (you must make sure to wash your hands after touching raw meat, since bacteria in raw meat can contaminate other objects in the kitchen as well as other food, such as fruits that are to be eaten raw), after coming home from outside and after visiting a sick relative. When you do not wash your hands, you contaminate every object you touch and that object can be touched by someone else, who is then at a higher risk of developing an infection.
• Disinfecting – Make sure to disinfect common household objects regularly. The most common contaminated objects around the house are door knobs, handles, TV remote, laptops, mobile phones and toys. If someone is suffering from an infection, wash their clothes separately and disinfect them with an antiseptic while washing.
• Sanitizing – When you are out and cannot wash your hands at regular intervals due to unavailability of soap or water, you must clean them with a hand sanitizer. For dirt or grease that is visible, you can use antibacterial wet wipes instead.

Apart from practicing the above, you should also only drink clean drinking water to prevent diarrhoea. Also, make sure the utensils in which food is prepared are properly cleaned. You can use Dettol Healthy Kitchen Dish and Slab Gel to make sure that your kitchen and utensils are not only squeaky clean but also hygienically fit for food preparation.