Hygiene and Sanitation

Objectives:

a. To equip the students with basic knowledge on hygiene and sanitation that can
be used to prevent contagious diseases.
b. To inform the students about the fundamentals of sanitation, disease
prevention, control measures against diseases, including waste disposal,
treatment of water impurities, and camp sanitation.

Hygiene may be defined as the employment, by the individual, of practices which

will keep him healthy. Among these practices are proper eating, body cleanliness,
and the avoidance of known sources of disease.

Health is the state of individual who enjoys physical, mental and social well being.

Importance of Personal Hygiene:

 It protects individual or group against diseases
 It promotes sound and positive total health
 It improves of even best one’s morale

Rules of Personal Hygiene:

 Washing of the body often. If possible, everybody should have a

shower or a bath everyday. However, there may be times when this is
not possible, for example, when people are out camping or there is a
shortage of water.
 If this happens, a swim or a wash all over the body with a wet sponge
or cloth will do.
 Cleaning the teeth at least once a day. Brushing the teeth after each
meal is the best way of making sure that gum disease and tooth decay
are avoided. It is very important to clean teeth after breakfast and
immediately before going to bed.
 Washing the hair with soap or shampoo atleast once a week.
 Washing hands with soap after going to the toilet.
 Washing hands with soap before preparing and/or eating food. During
normal daily activities, such as working and playing, disease causing
germs may get onto the hands and under the nails. If the germs are not
washed off before preparing food or eating, they may get onto the food.
 Changing into clean clothes. Dirty clothes should be washed with
laundry soap before wearing them again.
 Hanging clothes in the sun to dry. The sun’s rays will kill some disease-
causing germs and parasites.
  Turning away from other people and covering the nose and mouth with
a tissue or the hand when coughing or sneezing. If this is not done,
droplets of liquid containing germs from the nose and mouth will spread
in the air and other people can breathe them in, or the droplets can get
onto food.

Sanitation may be defined as the effective use of measures which will create and
maintain healthful environmental conditions. Among these measures are the
safeguarding of food and water and the control of disease-bearing insects and
rodents.

Military Sanitation includes the practices of both environmental sanitation and

personal hygiene, particularly within the framework of situations and experiences
associated with Army life.

Rules of Camp Sanitation

Clean camping practices encompass everything from personal hygiene and

cookware cleaning to water purification systems and human waste disposal.
Remember, once you’re in the woods, no municipal utilities will do the dirty work for
you. Below are some of the camp sanitation rules:

a. Leave No Trace. You may have seen the words “Leave No Trace” on the
packaging of camping gear, in books, or on internet trail guides, but these are
not merely words of encouragement. The Leave No Trace center for outdoor
ethics has developed 7 principles designed to keep the wilderness as it is for
generations to come, and should be strictly followed and kept in mind during
all camping activities. These includes anything you do to keep yourself and
your camp clean.

The 7 principles of leave no trace are:

i. Plan ahead and prepare.

ii. Travel and camp on durable surfaces.
iii. Dispose of waste properly.
iv. Leave what you find.
v. Minimize campfire impacts.
vi. Respect wildlife.
vii. Be considerate of other visitors.

b. Personal Hygiene: One should consider taking the basic personal hygiene
when camping. Don’t neglect personal hygiene just because you’re in the
great doors. Keeping a clean body will ensure that you stay healthy on your
trip, which could be spoiled quickly if you come down with any number of
intestinal illnesses that can accompany poor hygiene. Staying clean, however,
shouldn’t come at the cost of harming the environment.

c. Cooking and Eating. When you spend time in the outdoors, you’ll naturally
build up a little more grime and be exposed to potentially infectious
 substances. Before cooking any meal, it’s best to obliterate any germs by
using hand sanitizer gel or wipes. But, following LNT principles, be sure to
pack these out when your trip is over.

d. Waste. In addition to food waste, you’ll also have to deal with human waste
when camping. Move at least 200 feet from any water source or camping tent.
Dig a small hole, and fill it in later, making sure to cover it with branching or
rocks to keep any wildlife from getting to it. Packing out toilet paper is the best
way to ensure that you’re complying with LNT principles.

e. Drinking Water. Your camping or back packing trip won’t last too long if you
don’t have clean drinking water. Even though the clear water flowing in rivers
and streams may look refreshing, it could still be home to bacteria, parasites,
viruses, and other contaminants. These can lead to intestinal infections with
nasty names that cause even nastier consequences. The giardia parasite is
one of the most well-known threats. Others include cryptosporidium shigella,
and norovirus.

Water
 Prime necessity and one of our basic needs for existence of life
 No man can last more than 4 or 5 days without drinking water
 Water is utilized as bathing, cooking, washing chemical agents used in
the TX of water impurities

Impurities of water can be treated by:

 Use of Chloride - powerful germicide

 8-10 drops of Iodine per one (1) gallon of water
 Boiling for at least 30 minutes

Sources of Water:
 Surface water
- almost dirty contaminated except those running and stream and
spring in which there are residents
 Rain water
- as directly collected from roof
 Underground water
- wells, springs
 Public water supplies
- government supply or private corporation
Diseases is a particular quality, habit, or disposition regarded as adversely affecting
a person or group of people.

Types of Diseases:

Respiratory Diseases --Transmitted from man to man through oral

and nasal discharge of infected individual (TB, Cough and Cold)
 Intestinal Diseases -Transmitted by food and water that has become
contaminated with feces and urine of an affected person

Insect bite diseases - Transmitted to man through insect bites

(Malaria, Dengue, Typhoid fever)

VD or STD - Sexually transmitted diseases

Other acquired diseases:

-Dermatophytosis or athlete foot

Five factors in the transmission of intestinal diseases:

 Food
 Fingers
 Flies
 Fluid
 Feces

Control measures:

 Avoid close physical contact to positive identified carrier of

disease
 Proper ventilation of quarters
 Water purification
 Careful selection and preparation of food
 Maintenance of mess sanitation
 Prepare waste disposal
 Personal hygiene

Waste disposal in the field

Waste - A general term covering all types of refuse resulting from the living
activities of human or animals.

Disposal – The action or process of throwing away or getting rid of something.

Systems of waste disposal:

a. Straddle Trench Latrine

Short bivouac and FTX
Approx. 4 X 6 tren ches per 10 square meters
b. Deep Pit Latrine
Longer period of time in build up areas

c. Bore Hole or Cat Pit Latrine

March and patrol
Covered immediately with dirt after used
 d. Pail Latrine
Ground is too hard for digging
Water table is too high

e. Urine Soaked Pit

Prevent accumulation of liquid waste
Water from shower
Sinks
Field kitchen

General rules in construction of all types of latrine

 It should be all least 100 yards away from the unit mess from nearest
water services to ensure free from contamination
 A screen should be place around the latrine
 Installed a hand wash device
 It should be kept clean & polished 4 times a day
 Always treat it with chemical disinfectant spray inside to prevent
multiplication of vermin