Friedrich Nietzsche was right when he said, “What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.”
His words exemplify the response of our world and societies to the worst pandemic that very few of us have seen in our lives. Pandemics and contagions are nothing new and in the last 20 years itself, we have seen things like SARS, MERS and Ebola outbreaks in different parts of the world. However, Covid-19 has turned out to be a catalyst for long-term and probably irreversible changes in more ways than one.
Personal hygiene is one of the areas where the changes witnessed are drastic and permanent for many of us. However, what deserves contemplation is the need for a life-threatening event to make us act. The UN bodies such as WHO and UNICEF have been running sustained campaigns for several years to spread awareness about the importance and benefits of hygiene and sanitation.
Every year, lakhs of infants die in India and several other parts of the world due to preventable diseases such as malaria, dengue, diarrhoea, typhoid and various other ailments which are caused by lack of hygiene and sanitation. Yes, humanity is resilient and adaptable. We have learned a lot of things during the last year and a half. We have learned to take preventive steps such as covering our face, social distancing, etc., to stay safe. However, our health and wellness have always been and continue to be something we can improve sustainably through the adoption of the right habits, processes and hygiene products etc. We don’t need a global pandemic that kills millions to make us understand the basic relationship between hygiene and health.
For instance, a standard habit like hand-washing failed to get enough attention and adherence among the Indian masses. Outside of hospitals and healthcare awareness campaigns, one hardly ever discussed or emphasised on the need to wash hands. However, once the pandemic spread, people took to soaps and hand sanitisers with such fervour that these products went missing off store shelves for a long time. Even today, after a one-and-a-half-year of the pandemic, good quality soaps, hand sanitisers, and disinfectant sprays by leading brands continue to go out of stock frequently. It is so heartening to see this heightened state of hygiene awareness and adoption. However, the question we need to ask is why only now?
Social distancing is another such practice that was enforced by the authorities in the early days of the pandemic and then as the cases surged, people voluntarily adhered to the six-feet apart protocols. However, if we look at instances preceding the second wave of the pandemic, there were milling crowds and traffic jams all over again. While we lament the loss of lives and livelihood caused by the pandemic and various other endemic diseases which continue to affect our health and wellness, why do we drop the guard when there is no pandemic around? Once things normalise, people tend to go back to their old habits. It is this cyclic approach towards hygiene that now needs to be replaced with a consistent, careful and adequate adoption of hygiene and sanitation measures. If we can go to critical lengths to keep ourselves clean and protected during the pandemic, why can’t we do it otherwise? Washing hands, disinfecting our homes and public spaces etc., can save every household thousands in annual medical bills, not to mention the trauma of illness and threat to life.
The Covid-19 catastrophe has made us know how hygiene, self-care, sanitisation, and caring for others are essential practices for a good and long life. By adhering to clean practices, we not only keep ourselves safe but also increase the chances of survival and wellness of our friends, family and society in general. Alongside ensuring a no-leniency approach towards hygiene, we also need to look at holistic wellness for ourselves. Eating healthy and nutritious food, integrating exercise and physical activity into our daily routine, drinking clean water and getting adequate sleep are some of the things we all need to practice and recommend.
The need of the hour is to understand and let others know that while hygiene and wellness are important to protect us from the pandemic, these practices also save us from a long list of other ailments. Live clean, live peacefully and live long!
The writer is the Founder & CEO of Pee Safe.
