Humans are the most important resource in today’s world. Therefore, a man needs to be healthy. A healthy man is the most worthy wealth for a successful society. Two crucial words that are linked with the health of a man are hygiene and sanitation. These words are important as they are linked with the health of a man.
Healthiness can not be dreamt of without the use of these two words. Most people use these words interchangeably. Most diseases spread because of a lack of sanitation and hygiene—for example, the spread of the Ebola virus.
Hygiene vs Sanitation
The main difference between hygiene and sanitation is that hygiene is all about taking personal care. But, sanitation is all about taking care of the cleanliness of society as a whole. Hygiene keeps an individual healthy but sanitation keeps the whole society healthy. In the case of sanitation, the garbages and wastes are monitored to keep society free from disease-causing microorganisms or pathogens.
The concept of the word “hygiene” mainly refers to an individual body. Personal hygiene is highly important to take precaution. It is to prevent the spread of pathogens (or the diseases causing microorganisms) among people. It is mainly for human beings. However, it is all about taking personal cleanliness. Hygiene emphasises solely on an individual. It refers to good health and healthy living, which is achieved by taking personal care.
“Sanitation” is a concept, which combines the cleanliness of society as a whole. It refers to the safe and secure disposal of garbage and wastes surrounding human beings. This is mainly for the wastes and garbages surrounding men. It is all about managing the accumulated wastes produced by humans around them. It emphasises purely on the whole society and not the individual only. This concept refers to good health and healthy living that is achieved by preventing man from contacting pathogens from wastes.
Comparison Table Between Hygiene and Sanitation
| Parameters of Comparison | Hygiene | Sanitation |
| Refers to | It refers to good and healthy living achieved by taking personal care. | It refers to good healthy living, which is achieved by preventing man from garbage contacting. |
| Emphasis | Purely on an individual. | Purely on the whole society. |
| About | All about personal cleanliness. | All about managing the garbage and wastes produced by humans. |
| Concept | The concept is related to a single human body. | This concept combines the cleanliness of society as a whole. |
| Importance | It is important to prevent the spread of pathogens. | It is related to the disposal of garbage surrounding humans. |
| Characteristic | Solely the human beings. | It is for the garbage and wastes surrounding men. |
What is Hygiene?
Hygiene, according to WHO, is related to health. The major aspects of health care to preserve health and to prevent diseases. One of the famous topics which are widely used in discussion in the public and private sectors is personal hygiene. The spread of diseases can be controlled if good personal hygiene is maintained. Everyday hygienic practices include taking a bath and washing clothes. These practices protect the body from the accumulation of pathogenic bacteria.
It also contributes to improving the health of society as well. In women, at the time of menstruation, it is very important to maintain personal hygiene to prevent diseases like cystitis. The term hygiene is originated from a Greek word, meaning “an act of health.” Hygienic practices include feminine hygiene, oral hygiene, and many more. The common ways of achieving personal hygiene are by taking a bath, brushing the teeth, and washing the hands.
What is Sanitation?
Sanitation, according to WHO, means the safe disposal of human faeces and urine and the adequate provision of facilities and services. Health organisations and government bodies pay attention to the development of infrastructure facilities. They aim at improving sanitation all over the world. However, sanitation would be effective if they are started from the household level. Good sanitation is important as it provides a lifetime solution for dangerous contamination and communicable diseases.
Disposal of the wastes is more important. Humans generally release faeces and urine into river streams making the water bodies polluted. The disease-causing microbes contaminate the drinking water. Sanitation is better in those areas, where the number of people dwelling is low. There, the management to improve sanitation practices can be implemented effortlessly too. Areas with high-density people should be handled carefully. Otherwise, the spread of diseases would be dynamic and devastating.
Main Differences Between Hygiene and Sanitation
- The concept of the word hygiene is importantly related to a single human personal body. Whereas sanitation is a concept combining the cleanliness of the society as a whole.
- Personal hygiene is important to take precaution to prevent the spread of pathogens or the diseases causing microorganisms among people. However, sanitation is related to the disposal of garbage surrounding human beings.
- Hygiene is mainly for human beings. On the other hand, sanitation is mainly for the garbage and wastes surrounding men.
- Hygiene is all about personal cleanliness. However, sanitation is about managing the garbage and wastes produced by humans.
- Hygiene emphasis purely on an individual. However, sanitation emphasis purely on the whole society.
- Hygiene refers to good health and healthy living achieved by taking personal care. However, sanitation refers to good health and healthy living, which is achieved by preventing man to man contact and with the garbage that has pathogens.
Conclusion
In today’s world, the majority of people fear diseases than they fear ghosts. Thus, every here and there, humans are concerned about diseases and the necessary preventive measures. Sanitation in the global context refers to the safe disposal ways of human urine, faeces. However, Hygiene focuses on diseases and health.
Although, both sanitation and hygiene try to create a disease-free world, which would be filled with healthy human beings. To achieve a disease-free world, people need to follow hygiene and sanitation practices as a daily practice. Thus, people won’t be confused between the words like sanitation and hygiene.
References
- https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ahs/article/view/111421
- http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/42842/