Hygiene

In hospitals, care homes and in education, cross-contamination is a major cause of illness. It just takes the person preparing food to touch a surface that hasn’t been cleaned properly and germs are transferred.

Food isn’t the only way that germs are passed on - any unhygienic surface that fingers touch can end up transferring germs into the mouth, so good hygiene practices are needed in all areas, not only kitchens and food prep.

For hotels, cafes, bars and restaurants, poor hygiene can affect business both through staff absences and reduced customer numbers, due to either direct experience or word of mouth.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), illnesses that were not present at the time of admission, are a major challenge, affecting hundreds of millions of people around the word every year, and up to 7% of patients in developed countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the impact includes prolonged hospital stays, long-term disability, increased resistance of microorganisms to antimicrobials, massive additional costs for health systems, high costs for patients and their family and unnecessary deaths. The WHO has identified eight components to support tackling HAIs. Component eight covers the built environment, materials and equipment for infection prevention and control in acute healthcare facilities. Its recommendations include that patient care activities take place in a hygienic/clean environment that supports the prevention and control of HAIs.

https://www.who.int/infection-prevention/publications/burden_hcai/en/

How clean a space is kept can affect those of us simply spending a day at work or school. Where these areas are usually quite crowded and subject to high volumes of public interaction, they allow viruses to be spread easily among employees and students. To combat this increased risk of infection, the CDC recommends frequent disinfection of surfaces and objects used daily including desks, countertops and doorknobs.