Principles of envirnomental hygiene and waste management
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Hygiene and Environmental Health Module: 1. Introduction to the Principles and Concepts of Hygiene and Environmental Health
Study Session 1 Introduction to the Principles and Concepts of Hygiene and Environmental Health
Introduction
This first study session in the Module serves to introduce you to the important concepts and key terms that are used in environmental health and hygiene. Starting with a brief description of the historical importance of hygiene and sanitation, we will explain the scope of environmental health and describe the links between hygiene, sanitation and human health. We will describe the steps in environmental health planning and give you an overview of your role in the management of hygiene and environmental health at community level. This session will help you better understand subsequent sessions in this Module.
Learning Outcomes for Study Session 1
When you have studied this session, you should be able to:
1.1 Define and use correctly each of the key words printed in bold. (SAQ 1.1)
1.2 Briefly describe the history of hygiene and environmental health and its development in Ethiopia. (SAQ 1.2)
1.3 Describe the significance of environmental health at community level. (SAQs 1.1 and 1.3)
1.4 List the environmental risk factors involved in the transmission of communicable diseases. (SAQ 1.4)
1.5 Describe the interactions between development and environment that affect human health. (SAQ 1.5)
1.6 Explain the basic components and purpose of environmental health planning. (SAQ 1.6)
1.1 Historical perspectives on hygiene and environmental health
Hygiene and sanitation have a long history at various levels of human civilisation. We can roughly divide the historical events into two periods: the ancient and the modern.
1.1.1 Prehistoric and ancient civilisation
Religious laws, such as Moses’ Law, writings in the Old and New Testaments and laws in the Koran, played major roles in the lives of ancient peoples. These laws mainly concentrated on the provision of personal hygiene. Dead bodies and contaminated surfaces were known to be unclean or unhygienic to touch. The importance of burying human faeces was also strongly indicated. The importance of body cleanliness before praying was a motive for maintaining the integrity of hygiene with a religious practice.
The importance of hygiene and sanitation flourished at the times of Greek, Roman and Egyptian civilisation. The use of private and public baths and latrines, cleaning of the body, shaving the head for protection from lice infestation, and the construction of water pipelines and sewage ditches were widely observed. The transmission of schistosomiasis (bilharzia) was linked to bathing and swimming in the Nile River. In these civilisations, the focus was on personal hygiene (hygiene) and human waste management (sanitation).
1.1.2 Modern times
A number of discoveries in the 19th century were important events for the understanding of communicable diseases. For example, the link between contaminated water and cholera was discovered by John Snow in 1854; the importance of hygienic handwashing before attending delivery of a baby was noted by Dr. Semmelweis in 1845; and the discovery that microorganisms (very small organisms only visible under a microscope) cause disease was made by Louis Pasteur around this time.
The period following the industrial revolution in Europe in the 19th century showed that improvements in sanitation, water supply and housing significantly reduced the occurrence of communicable diseases. The term ‘environmental health’ is used to describe human health in relation to environmental factors such as these. Environmental health can be defined as the control of all the factors in a person’s physical environment that have, or can have, a damaging effect on their physical, mental or social wellbeing. The issue of environmental health is now a global matter under the guidance of the United Nations (UN) through the World He
Study Session 1 Introduction to the Principles and Concepts of Hygiene and Environmental Health
Introduction
This first study session in the Module serves to introduce you to the important concepts and key terms that are used in environmental health and hygiene. Starting with a brief description of the historical importance of hygiene and sanitation, we will explain the scope of environmental health and describe the links between hygiene, sanitation and human health. We will describe the steps in environmental health planning and give you an overview of your role in the management of hygiene and environmental health at community level. This session will help you better understand subsequent sessions in this Module.
Learning Outcomes for Study Session 1
When you have studied this session, you should be able to:
1.1 Define and use correctly each of the key words printed in bold. (SAQ 1.1)
1.2 Briefly describe the history of hygiene and environmental health and its development in Ethiopia. (SAQ 1.2)
1.3 Describe the significance of environmental health at community level. (SAQs 1.1 and 1.3)
1.4 List the environmental risk factors involved in the transmission of communicable diseases. (SAQ 1.4)
1.5 Describe the interactions between development and environment that affect human health. (SAQ 1.5)
1.6 Explain the basic components and purpose of environmental health planning. (SAQ 1.6)
1.1 Historical perspectives on hygiene and environmental health
Hygiene and sanitation have a long history at various levels of human civilisation. We can roughly divide the historical events into two periods: the ancient and the modern.
1.1.1 Prehistoric and ancient civilisation
Religious laws, such as Moses’ Law, writings in the Old and New Testaments and laws in the Koran, played major roles in the lives of ancient peoples. These laws mainly concentrated on the provision of personal hygiene. Dead bodies and contaminated surfaces were known to be unclean or unhygienic to touch. The importance of burying human faeces was also strongly indicated. The importance of body cleanliness before praying was a motive for maintaining the integrity of hygiene with a religious practice.
The importance of hygiene and sanitation flourished at the times of Greek, Roman and Egyptian civilisation. The use of private and public baths and latrines, cleaning of the body, shaving the head for protection from lice infestation, and the construction of water pipelines and sewage ditches were widely observed. The transmission of schistosomiasis (bilharzia) was linked to bathing and swimming in the Nile River. In these civilisations, the focus was on personal hygiene (hygiene) and human waste management (sanitation).
1.1.2 Modern times
A number of discoveries in the 19th century were important events for the understanding of communicable diseases. For example, the link between contaminated water and cholera was discovered by John Snow in 1854; the importance of hygienic handwashing before attending delivery of a baby was noted by Dr. Semmelweis in 1845; and the discovery that microorganisms (very small organisms only visible under a microscope) cause disease was made by Louis Pasteur around this time.
The period following the industrial revolution in Europe in the 19th century showed that improvements in sanitation, water supply and housing significantly reduced the occurrence of communicable diseases. The term ‘environmental health’ is used to describe human health in relation to environmental factors such as these. Environmental health can be defined as the control of all the factors in a person’s physical environment that have, or can have, a damaging effect on their physical, mental or social wellbeing. The issue of environmental health is now a global matter under the guidance of the United Nations (UN) through the World He
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