Hand-washing and disease

written Sunday, April 1, 2007


I didn't mention in my earlier post that I have had diarrhea ever since our delicious yassa lunch this afternoon. I blame the fact that my 2-year-old sister was sitting next to me and kept reaching into my section of the bowl with her dirty hands.

In spite of the fact that the Senegalese government runs really great, looong commercials regularly about how important hand washing is to preventing disease, and despite that it is so dusty here that you are filthy the minute you step out your door, people just don't wash hands here.

I know that it is hard to change behaviors. Even when people know something is bad for them (like smoking) they often continue to do it. Or fail to do something good for them just because it is not their habit. Certainly lots of people in America don't wash their hands regularly.

But as my experience this afternoon proves, hand washing is really important. Especially in an environment where goats and sheep and other animals are running around and pooping in the streets where children play, where trash is just thrown into the street, and where it is so dusty that I have a washable "tan" five minutes after leaving my house.

So, challenge number one when I get to my village: try to get people to wash their hands before meals.