Wash

Introduction:

WASH is a term that combines sanitation, hygiene, and water supply since the effects of deficits in each area heavily overlap. Together, addressing these issues can have a significant positive impact on public health. The acronym WASH (or Watsan, WASH) stands for "water, sanitation, and hygiene." A crucial public health issue in international development is universal, affordable, and sustainable access to WASH, which is the focus of Sustainable Development Goal 6.

Water

Although it doesn't contain any calories or organic nutrients, water is a transparent, flavorless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical that makes up the majority of the fluids in living things, including most streams, lakes, and oceans on Earth. Water is also essential for all known forms of life. Given that it has the chemical formula H20, each of its molecules consists of two hydrogen atoms bound together by covalent bonds and one oxygen atom. The liquid form of H2O at standard ambient pressure and temperature is referred to as water. It produces fog-like aerosols and precipitation in the form of rain. Droplets of suspended water and ice, in its solid state, are what create clouds. Snow may arise when crystalline ice that has been finely split occurs. Steam or water vapor is the gaseous form of water. The water cycle, which includes evaporation, transpiration (evapo transpiration), condensation, precipitation, and runoff, transfers water continuously until it typically reaches the sea. 71% of the surface of the Earth is covered by water, largely in seas and oceans. [1] There are trace amounts of water in the groundwater (1.7%), glaciers and ice caps of Antarctica and Greenland (1.7%), clouds (made of ice and liquid water suspended in air), and precipitation (0.001 * 0/o) in the atmosphere.

Requirement of water:

Approximately 60% of the body is made up of water. You must drink enough water to avoid being dehydrated. The amount of water you should consume each day is a topic of much debate. Health professionals frequently advise eight 8-ounce glasses, or about 2 liters or half a gallon.

Parameters of safe drinking water:

The physical, chemical, biological, and radiological properties of water are referred to as its quality. It is a way to gauge how well water is performing in relation to the needs of one or more Physical, chemical, or biological characteristics can make up these qualities. Thermodynamic characteristics of water quality include turbidity and temperature. Chemical properties include elements like pH and dissolved oxygen. Algae and phytoplankton are biological measures of water quality.

Parameters for Drinking Water Testing

• Hardness
• pH
• Copper
• Iron
• Phosphate
• Chlorine
• Ammonia
• Chromium

Sanitation

The "main idea" of sanitation encompasses the management of solid wastes as well as the safe collection and disposal of human excreta (feces and urine). The Value of Hygiene and Sanitation. Sanitation, hygiene, and access to clean drinking water all contribute significantly to good health. Many water-borne illnesses, including diarrhea, are brought on by contaminated water, which also acts as a vector for diseases like epidemics. like mosquitoes

The necessity of sanitation Norms for general cleanliness and personal hygiene include:

• How many facilities there are.
• When the appropriate authority would need more facilities.
• Ceilings, floors, partitions, and walls.
• Fixtures and fittings, ventilation
• Drainage and plumbing.
• Lighting, sewage, effluent, and greywater (sullage) disposal

Hygiene

One of the most crucial aspects of our daily lives is the practice of good personal hygiene. It's possible that many people in rural areas don't know what good or bad personal hygiene is. Through the practice of good personal hygiene, communicable diseases like diarrhea, trachoma, and many others can be greatly avoided. You must develop good personal hygiene habits so that you can use them to prevent and treat serious public health conditions that are common in your area. You will gain a better understanding of the relationships between personal hygiene and one's self-respect, self-assurance, and comfort from this study session.

Personal hygiene:

The idea of personal hygiene is one that is frequently applied in medical and public health settings. Additionally, it is commonly practiced on an individual and domestic level. Keeping our bodies and clothing clean is a part of it. As the name suggests, personal hygiene is private. Personal hygiene is described in this context as a state that encourages sanitary behavior in oneself.

Components of personal hygiene

• Body Hygiene (skin care):
  There are around two million sweat glands in the body. Dirt that adheres to the surface of undergarments and the skin is made up of moistened and dried sweat, dead skin cells, and other substances. The sweat is broken down by bacteria, which produces an unpleasant odor and irritates the skin.
• Oral Hygiene (oral care):
  The body part that is most likely to harbor dangerous bacteria and cause infections is the mouth. Food is mechanically cut into bits in our mouth. Food debris is left behind as a result of this process and adheres to the surface of our gums and teeth. Bacteria flourish in the warm, moist environment of our mouth cavity.
• Handwashing (hand care):
  In all of our daily activities, keeping our hands clean is crucial. Our hands frequently become dirty while performing our daily tasks. Numerous circumstances make it likely that bacteria will stick to our hands along with the dirt. There are numerous contagious illnesses that spread via faecal-oral means. In order to stop this transmission, good hand hygiene is crucial.
  Handwashing technique.
  • To begin, wash your hands well with water before lathering with soap.
  • Next, scrub all surfaces up to your wrists by firmly rubbing your hands together.
  • Make sure your fingernails are clean.
  • Continue for 15–30 seconds, or around the length of a short song (such as "Happy Birthday"). The soap and scrubbing motion work together to help loosen and eliminate bacteria.
  • Wash your hands thoroughly under running water (pour from a jug or tap).
  • Do not touch anything until your hands are completely dry to avoid recontamination on a dirty towel.
  • Any filth or odors can be removed with wood ash as well. Ash's purifying ability is demonstrated by the minor irritability you get when washing your hands with it.
  • You can also regularly wash your hands using local seeds like indod (Lemma's plant), which are considered to be effective cleaning agents.
  • For handwashing, clean sand and water can be used to assist rub off dirt.
  • There are substitutes you can use if you don't have soap. These do the same task as soap by helping to "scrub" away any debris from your hands so that the flowing water may wash it away. No dipping your hands in a bowl; you must POUR the water over your hands to get clean hands. The dirt is "lifted" by the soap or ash.
• Face Hygiene:
  Our everyday personal hygiene routine is seen on our faces. Face hygiene covers every aspect of the face. The eyes are the most crucial area to maintain cleanliness. The eye exudes protective fluids, which may dry and gather in the area around the eye. When someone wakes up in the morning, they are evident.
• Nail hygiene (or nail care) refers to the cleanliness of the fingernail and toenail. Long fingernails have a tendency to collect or trap dirt underneath. Defecation or contacting infectious and polluted surfaces may have caused the filth.
• Ear Hygiene
  In the ear canal, which connects the outer ear to the ear drum, ear wax builds up. Dust from the air is drawn into the secretion as it leaves the ear. The outer ear can be kept clean by washing it with soap and water once a day. Do not stick your little finger inside your ear any deeper than you can.
• Hair Hygiene (hair care)
  The oil that keeps the hair smooth is produced by the sebaceous glands in the hair follicles where the hair grows. The scalp, which is the skin that covers the head, includes many sweat glands as well as being a place where dead skin cells collect. If you don't frequently wash your hair, the combination of oil, sweat, and dead cells can make your hair look greasy and nasty.
• Foot Hygiene (foot care)
  We are on our feet a lot of the time. Walking causes our feet to perspire, which collects on all foot surfaces and in between the toes. The sweat can smell terrible and stain the shoes.
• Armpit and bottom hygiene
  These are areas of the body with poor ventilation that are prone to sweating. After puberty, our sweat develops a distinct and offensive odor that may offend other people. Every day, wash your bottom and underarms.
• Clothes Hygiene
  We often dress in two layers. Underwear (or underclothes), such as slacks, a vest, and a t-shirt, make up the interior layer. These are in close proximity to our skin, where they gather sweat and dead skin cells that can stain the fabric. In addition to the distinct odor of the sweat, bacteria love to grow on this dirt and produce a foul odor.
• Menstrual Hygiene (Personal hygiene for women)
  Other than washing the external genitalia, the vagina is capable of cleaning itself. It must be a daily ritual to wash the external genital area with clean water. Tampons and sanitary pads or napkins should be changed frequently. Hands should always be washed both before and after handling tampons or pads. Sanitary pads can be substituted with clean, soft cloths. We need to stop using dirty clothes. 

Use of gloves:

Gloves are an example of personal protective equipment (PPE) that is used to shield workers from chemical exposure or microbiological contamination. They are crucial in preventing the spread of illnesses among patients who are involved in healthcare. Standard infection control procedures should be followed whenever there is patient contact. This includes thinking of all bodily fluids, including blood, as potentially contagious. Therefore, it is crucial to utilize gloves properly.

Grease and your hands are separated by gloves. They assist in maintaining clean hands and lowering your risk of contracting contagious illnesses. When handling blood, biological fluids, bodily tissues, mucous membranes, or damaged skin, always wear gloves. When handling blood, bodily fluids, bodily tissues, mucous membranes, or broken skin, wear gloves. Even if the patient appears to be in good health and shows no signs of infection, you should wear gloves for this type of contact.

Fit, purpose, and required level of protection all need to be taken into account when choosing a safety glove.

• Fabric or Cotton Gloves
  This style of glove (also known as "liners") offers a thin, permeable barrier between the user's skin and the objects they are using for work. These gloves offer only a bare minimum of defense against hot surfaces, jagged objects, open flames, and puncture risks. Even so, they aid in keeping the worker's hands clean and may act as enough of a barrier to stop scrapes or abrasions.
• Coated Fabric Gloves
  These gloves are multipurpose. When compared to a standard fabric glove, they offer better chemical resistance, greater protection from cuts and punctures, and increased defense against the alkalinity of concrete objects like bricks.
• Rubber, Plastic, or Synthetic Gloves
  In medical facilities and laboratories, these gloves are frequently used. They offer defense against:
  • Chemicals
  • Solvents
  • Bio-hazards
  • Grease
  • Oils
• Leather Gloves
  There are many beneficial properties and uses for leather gloves. Leather provides a firm grip, deters sparks, and guards against surfaces that are pointy or abrasive. Even when the glove is exposed to moderate heat, such as the heat from welding or the friction from a rope passing through the gloves' palms while lowering loads, this protection persists. Gloves made of natural latex or rubber that are designed for incidental contact. Suitable for water-based liquids and biological hazards.