Hygiene – upper primary science
HYGIENE
Hygiene deals with personal habits for bodily cleanliness.
Why one should promote personal hygiene?
– prevent spread of diseases
– to get rid of diseases
– to look smart
Body cleanliness
Cleanliness of the body means making sure your body is kept clean at all times. The whole body needs to be cleaned and not just specific parts of the body. Generally the body should be cleaned regularly soap and rinsed with enough clean water.
Body parts that need special care
(a)The mouth
The mouth has the tongue, teeth and gums.
Care for the teeth
- Always brush your teeth after every meal with toothbrush and tooth paste. Toothpaste contain calcium the strengthen bones
- Eat food rich in calcium such as milk
- Avoid sugary food such as biscuit and sweet
- Do not open a soda using your teeth.
- Use dental floss to clean in between your teeth, not tooth pick. Dental floss is a special waxed string used to remove food particles between teeth.
Problems related to teeth that require a dentist
- Bleeding gum
- Tooth cavities
- Bad smell
- Tooth decay
(b) Finger nails
These should be keep short and clean to prevent transfer of germs to the mouth.
Genital organs
Should be washed every after sex
Males should be circumcised to promote hygiene and reduce the risk of spreading sexually transmitted diseases.
Female should never struggle to remove all the mucus from the vagina since this exposes them to infections.
Dark places of the body
Pay special attention when bathing to clean the armpit, groin and in between the buttock’s to avoid bad smell
Always shave the armpit hair, beard, hair and pubic hairs
(c) Personal items
What are personal items?
Personal items are your private things that are essential for your hygiene, grooming and good health. Personal items include; handkerchief, hair-comb, hairbrush, toothbrush, socks and towel.
How should personal items he handled?
- i) Personal items should always be kept clean. They should be washed with warm water and soap. Handkerchiefs, towels and socks should then be spread on the clothesline to dry. And ironed to kill germs
- ii) Combs and hairbrushes can be cleaned by wiping them using a wet piece of cloth and/or bathroom brush.
iii) A toothbrush should be cleaned by immersing it in warm water. This should be done regularly after use.
- iv) Personal items should not be shared. They can transmit skin diseases such as ringworms, scabies from one person to
Personal cleanliness contributes towards proper hygiene and good health. The table below shows some personal items and their uses.
Table of summary of personal of items
| Personal item | Use |
| Handkerchief | Wiping the nose |
| Socks | Protecting the feet |
| Toothbrush | Cleaning the mouth |
| Comb | Combing the hair |
| Hairbrush | Brushing the hair |
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