Lifestyle Choices

Living in a large city is not always safe. Wherever large numbers of people are gathered together, there is always some risk of infection. During an epidemic it is easy for disease to spread quickly from one person to another. The more dense the population, the greater the danger.

Out in the country the risk of infection may be somewhat less. The protective forces of nature often help to prevent disease. Many germs are destroyed by the heat of the sun and by the drying effects of the wind. The cold days of winter may also help to eliminate some harmful bacteria. But a few germs may still be there after the snow has melted. This is more apt to be true where the winters are short and relatively mild.

Living in the country, however, can also be dangerous, especially if there is a lack of good sanitation. Proper methods of disposing of refuse are always essential to good health. It is true that the human body can sometimes put up a remarkable fight against disease. But this is no reason why we should presume on our good fortune. We can never be certain that our resistance is high enough to prevent some disease from striking. Whenever we let down our guard, we are likely to pay for our folly.

Most large cities today have been provided with some type of public health service. Great care is taken to provide clean drinking water. Food supplies are similarly guarded from contamination as far as possible. Today a new service is coming into being. The air over our large cities must also be protected against undue contamination with smoke from the large industrial plants upon which we depend today.

But even though we may live where these rigid health laws are enforced, it is still possible for our food and water to be contaminated after they arrive in our homes. Each householder, therefore, has a responsibility to guard his own home and family against the onslaughts of disease.

Primitive man, living in the jungle, gives little or no thought to health or cleanliness. He lives more or less like a wild animal, forgetful of all else but the needs of the moment. He never bothers about sanitation. If he has a home, it is more than likely to be surrounded with filth and rubbish. Flies and vermin are swarming everywhere. There are no windows or chimneys in his dwelling. The walls are covered with grime and filth. Pigs and chickens compete with cockroaches and other vermin for a place in his hut. All the human inhabitants are covered with lice. Their food is tainted and their water polluted. Disease is rampant, and only the hardiest of the children ever survive.

This is an extreme situation, but there are places like this in remote parts of the world. These are mentioned only that we might realize how much we owe to those who keep our cities clean and protect our food supplies and our drinking water from contamination. Too often their work is overlooked until some plague or epidemic comes along and makes us realize how important their work actually is.

There are many avenues by which disease may enter our homes. Domestic animals may carry in germs of all kinds. Wild animals are also a menace at times. Insects are a common source of trouble. Flies bring in many germs and may cause such serious diseases as typhoid, dysentery, and other gastrointestinal complaints. In certain tropical areas mosquitoes are responsible for spreading such diseases as malaria, dengue, encephalitis, filariasis, and yellow fever. Rats are a constant source of trouble in certain areas, especially during times of widespread epidemic diseases. Even birds may carry germs and viruses that menace the human race.

No family can afford to neglect the simple but very sensible laws of health. They must become a part of our whole plan of living. Young children need guidance in developing their own lives in harmony with sound principles of health.

Then there are problems of unforeseen emergencies with which we must be prepared to cope. Wars, floods, earthquakes, windstorms, and fires may interrupt the normal program of living. What steps shall we take to protect ourselves from injury and infection during such times of disaster?

One of the first steps that civil defense authorities take in times of emergency is to provide clean, uncontaminated drinking water. The next is equally important. There must be provision for the proper disposal of waste materials. Whenever there is a breakdown of normal facilities, there is always danger of epidemic diseases spreading through the community. To provide proper protection is the first responsibility of those in charge.

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