Not enough Thais wash hands: study
Published on November 28, 2005
About half of all Thais admit to not washing their hands before touching or eating food, a recent survey has found. The results coincide with an annual increase in the incidence of diseases such as diarrhoea, dysentery and typhoid, which are often related to poor personal hygiene.
Although the hand-washing figure was lower than last year, it is still too high, Public Health Minister Pinij Charusombat said yesterday.
Last year, the ministry’s survey found that 65 per cent of people said they did not wash their hands before handling or eating food.
The ministry did not provide exact details of who was polled or where they lived. A press release announcing the results said only that respondents were aged from six years up.
The combined total number of cases of diarrhoea, dysentery or typhoid rose by more than 200,000 this year, said Pinij. The rise was an apparent consequence of the population’s poor hygiene standards, he said.
The survey also revealed that some four in 10 people said they did not wash their hands after using the toilet.
Hand washing has been proven to help stop the spread of germs, Pinij said.
The Public Health Ministry is encouraging the public to pay more attention to personal hygiene, particularly those involved with food processing and cooking, said Dr Pratch Boonyawongwiroj, an acting public health secretary.
Cooks are also being strongly advised not to paint their fingernails, as the varnish could conceal dirt trapped under the fingernails, Pratch said.
The ministry was campaigning in about 1,000 state hospitals nationwide, the doctor said.
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