Health

Better hygiene habits could be a silver lining from the pandemic

Paddy Murray: You may have noticed the very small incidence of ‘flu this year

“I do think that sanitising hands before entering a public area such as a shop or, hopefully, a cinema or a gig, will become routine.”

Paddy Murray
Mon May 24 2021 - 06:01

The excitement of hairdressers and barbers reopening is dying down.

It clearly didn’t affect me – but, as the time goes by, I have notice more blonde and fewer ladies with grey hair around the place and, thank God, fewer man-buns.

In our very strange new world, what we are waiting for now is the chance to visit pubs and restaurants – and sit inside.

It has been an horrendous time. Almost five thousand dead in Ireland, millions dead around the world. More than a year in, Covid still seems to be out of control in parts of our planet and I'm not sure we will ever know the real statistics from the world's poorest nations quite simply because nobody is counting.

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Here, despite our regulations and restrictions, hundreds of thousands have been hit with Covid, some with long Covid which may affect their lives for many years to come. Nobody is quite sure.

Covid and its variants have been a dark cloud over Ireland, and the world, for what seems like a long, long time.

But doesn’t the old adage say that every cloud has a silver lining?

So where is Covid’s silver lining? Is there actually any silver lining at all?

Well, yes. Maybe there is.

You may have noticed, among all the bad news, reports about the very small incidence of ‘flu in Ireland this year. Bronchiolitis in babies has been all but absent this winter. Some European countries have reported a drop of more than 90 per cent in cases this year.

That may well be a hint of the silver lining to come.

There are multiple reasons as to why respiratory illness, other than Covid, has been less prevalent than in other years.

We all know that there has been far less social interaction. Most people have the good sense, and good manners, to wear face masks. People who never before washed their hands on a regular basis now do so. Not all of course. On a recent and rare visit to St James’s Hospital I saw one man, masked as required, emerge from a cubicle in the toilets – and walk straight out the door without washing his hands.

I am further evidence of how the changes in our lives and in my own life in particular, have offered protection from illness

But, in general, people are paying far more attention to hygiene than they ever did.

You can see them wiping the handles of supermarket trolleys before then spraying their hands with sanitiser and then going inside to shop.

You can see them turn away and cough into the crook of their arms as opposed to into a fisted hand or, worse still, just turning to the side and letting rip.

And I am further evidence of how the changes in our lives and in my own life in particular, have offered protection from illness.

Since my bone marrow transplant – this month marks its 13th anniversary – I have ended up as an in-patient in St James’s Hospital, on average, twice a year.

I have been very prone to infection, more so in spring and autumn than any other time of year. The fungus aspergillus has been guilty on more than one occasion.

But the last time I was an in-patient was October 2019. And my doctors, of whom there are several, believe that is due, not only to my own self isolation but to the care taken by others I occasionally meet if out for a walk.

Of course I don’t want to stay isolated forever. Vaccinated now, I feel a little bit more comfortable about meeting others and may, indeed, ask a friend around for a cup of tea in the garden very soon.

I can’t see most people wearing masks for much longer than is necessary – though I am sure some people will always wear them in crowds.

I do think that sanitising hands before entering a public area such as a shop or, hopefully, a cinema or a gig, will become routine.

And while doctors tell me that it’s not a simple thing, that reducing the incidence of respiratory illness is not just down to better hygiene, that it’s a complicated, technical business, there is no doubt that improved hygiene will bring benefits with it.

The only wonder is, that it has taken a pandemic to teach some people the basics of hygiene, like handwashing after using a toilet.

It has been an expensive lesson.

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