Hygiene Promotion

Overview of Hygiene

Hygiene refers to acts that can lead to good health and cleanliness, such as frequent hand washing, face washing, and bathing with soap and clean water. In many areas of the world, practicing personal hygiene is difficult due to lack of clean water and soap. Many diseases/conditions are spread through poor hand hygiene, as a result of not washing hands after using the toilet, not washing hands before food preparation or eating, and not washing hands when they are visibly soiled.

Remember that hand washing is the most important way to stop transmission of many diseases!

Diseases Related to Poor Hygiene

Below are some examples of diseases/conditions due partly to poor hygiene of certain body areas (click on the body area label to view the diseases/conditions; click on the disease/condition to be taken to a page with information specific to that disease/condition):

Preventing Disease with Proper Hygiene

Many diseases/conditions can be prevented and/or controlled through proper personal hygiene by:

• Washing hands with soap and clean, running water (if available):
  • Before and after preparing food
  • Before and after eating food
  • After using the toilet
  • After changing diapers and cleaning children
  • During times of illness
  • After handling an animal or animal waste
  • After handling garbage
• Frequently washing other parts of the body and hair with soap and clean, running water (if available)
  • Trachoma infection can be prevented through increased facial cleanliness using soap and clean water, and improved sanitation to reduce fly breeding sites.
  • People with lymphatic filariasis can prevent secondary bacterial and fungal infections and decrease the risk of lymphedema progression to elephantiasis by daily washing of the swollen area (usually the limbs) with soap and clean water, as well as disinfecting wounds with antibacterial or antifungal cream.
• If soap and/or clean, running water is not available, then use an alcohol-based gel (>60% alcohol) (1) to clean hands; however, alcohol-based hand sanitizers will not kill all germs (e.g., Cryptosporidium spp.)
• Cleaning teeth regularly with toothpaste, a toothbrush, and safe water (preferably clean, running water if available)

For more information on the proper steps for hand washing and how hand washing can save lives, visit CDC’s Clean Hands Save Lives and Wash Your Hands.

For more information on WASH-related diseases, visit CDC’s Healthy Water Global WASH-related diseases.

Hand Sanitizers

Hand sanitizers should primarily be used as an optional follow-up to traditional hand washing with soap and water, except in situations where soap and water are not available. In those instances, use of an alcohol gel (>60% alcohol) (1) is recommended.

1.  Centers for Disease Control. Guidelines for Hand-Hygiene in Healthcare Settings: Recommendation of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee and the HICPAC/SHEA/APIC/IDSA Hand Hygiene Task Force. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5116.pdf (PDF, 495 kb, 56 pages).