Health practices to adopt post covid-19
This picture taken on April 24, 2020 shows President Museveni sanitising after flagging off a fleet of 45 cars donated by different individuals and companies to the COVID-19 national task force to help in the fight against the spread of the virus. Photo by Lubowa Abubaker
What you need to know:
The coronavirus pandemic has devastated the whole world in equal measure. However, there is also a lot that we have learnt. Practices such as washing your hands often and the use of face masks should be adopted even after the pandemic has been defeated.
Much as the covid-I9 pandemic is a menace to the entire human race, it has created awareness and improved our daily health care practices. It has also brought the much needed attention to public health concerns.
It is amazing that right thinking adults still have to be told and later on forced to wash their hands. Shortly before the total lockdown, all public places had acquired hand washing stations and they had to place a guard sometimes armed to ensure that everyone followed the rule. Shouldn’t observing personal hygiene be ingrained in our systems by now? According to the way people had to be reminded to wash, apparently not.
However, according to Dr Chris Lovis Bwambale from St Paul’s Hospital in Kasese, the degree of the general public on hand hygiene has increased irrespective of the previous efforts before the pandemic. The use of hand sanitisers, which was previously more used by the healthcare workers has been taken up by the general public.
“Washing hands with soap be it liquid or solid, water treated with jik, or alcohol will definitely have lasting positive effects. Poor hand hygiene has been costing the general public a lot on time, money, easy transmission of preventable infectious diseases such as the common cold, respiratory tract infections, gastroenteritis and septicaemia among others that can be managed by proper hand hygiene,” says Dr Bwambale.
He notes that there other areas of concern that still show low hand hygiene including hand washing before breast feeding babies and food vendors. “Few mothers take the necessary step to wash their hands before breastfeeding their babies which can explain the continuous high cases of infections among babies. Food poisoning is still a great public health concern, which is more related to poor hand hygiene among people preparing food, those selling it and those consuming it. For example, chapati businesses have been a great source of food poisoning due to making, serving and money handling at the same time,” he notes.
Practices such as washing your hands often and the use of face masks should be adopted even after the pandemic has been defeated.
Proper technique
Even though some people have been washing hands, very few were conversant with the proper hand washing techniques as recommended by the Ministry of Health, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organisation.
In health facilities, among health workers the degree of the daily five moments of hand hygiene has increased which is a better practice that prevents cross infections among health workers, clients and relatives.
Face masks
According to Dr Bwambale, the use of face masks in the general public and even in health facilities has been at a lower percentage. Previously, it has been a practice by a few people to do away with dust and offensive smells and less for cross infection prevention. The failure to wear face masks in public places will increase chances of cross infections. It would be good manners for anyone with cough, flu to wear a face mask to prevent infecting their surroundings.
In health facilities, face masks are commonly given to suspected and confirmed TB cases and lesser to anyone with cough or flu. In theater, maternity commonly use surgical masks and N95 for those attending to T.B patients.
“However, the number of people wearing masks every day to prevent being infected by Covid-19 has increased irrespective of where they work. This would be a good daily practice even after coronavirus to prevent nosocomial infections,” says Dr Bwambale.
Social distancing
This is a great practice if all people follow the rule. It thoroughly reduces the chances of being in contact with infected and infectious people. Dr Bwambale urges the authorities to come up with better modalities on how this practice can go on, especially in urban centres where there is a lot of congestion starting with reducing the number of people being carried by public transport vehicles as compared to the previous standards.
“Controlling overcrowding in public places such as bars, places of worship and the rest would be a great milestone in preventing infectious diseases which come with a high cost for livelihood of the general public. There has always been the need for social distancing in health facilities, since there is a high risk of cross infections, especially the standard numbers per ward, with respect to its size and to the disease being managed,” he reveals.
Keeping fit will not only keep you stress-free but will protect your body against disease. PPU PHOTO
Physical exercises and stress management
In reference to the president’s message towards physical exercises, it would be a great deal for some people who have not been getting enough time to exercise to continue doing so long after the pandemic has passed. This would increase the degree of preventing non-communicable diseases.
The pandemic has fostered cohesiveness within a society that is continuously getting polarized along tribal, political and religious lines. People are now more compassionate towards each other because the fight against a common enemy has provided a point of unity. There is more show of love by joyful giving, caring for our neighbours, irrespective of their differences; this would be a good social practice if it outlives the lockdown.
Health service delivery
According to Dr Joshua Wacha from Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, the need and use of ambulances should be highly prioritised, especially in prevention of maternal, neonatal/child mortalities.
“In the early days of the lockdown, I noted an increase of late referral arrivals, which led to an increase in early neonatal deaths or severe/complicated emergencies. The number of waiting mothers has slightly increased; those with obstetric risks such as those with previous caesarean section scars,” the doctor reveals adding that the challenge, however, is that expecting mothers delay reporting to hospital until they are in active labour even though they were schedule for Caesarean section deliveries which carries higher obstetric risks.
Public empowerment
By equipping the public with the necessary information to protect themselves, they feel empowered and in control of their own lives. This should go on after Covid-19, to prevent the continuous health burden of superstitions, which delays some people to seek health services.
Also, some people have realised that they can do away with some practices such as spending a lot of time in bars as well as having multiple sexual partners, which poses a risk to their lives and families.
Dr Joshua Wacha from Gulu Regional Referral Hospital says the pandemic might cause an evolution of our cultural practices such as the celebration of birth, marriage and death. “With the rise of coronavirus pandemic people have found safety in isolation which goes against our culture that encourages togetherness. As more people embrace the scientific wedding for instance and only a handful of family members at burials, there is a possibility of a change in perception regarding these ceremonies. For me this would be a positive change as it gets the job done with reduced costs and less chances of disease transmission,” says Dr Wacha.
