Cleanliness they say is next to Godliness, but this is hardly true today with the youth of my generation as many are more concerned with or about making money that they care less about washing their hands regularly. Especially before preparing meals, before and after eating, after visiting the toilet, taking their bath (at least twice a day), brushing their teeth, using roll on, deodorant, perfume or body spray, making their beds, sweeping and mopping the floor, mowing the lawns, washing their clothes and a whole lot more. These days, I find it difficult to travel by public transport because the stench from some individuals is capable of suffocating everyone on board. The pressure to perform and become something has eaten so deep into folks especially between the ages of 23-30 that they care less about their physical appearance. I tried reminding someone about the need to look good at all times last week and the response I got is “I’m not a run way model and neither am I going for any sort of competition”. And I paused to ask myself, do we have to wait until there’s a medal, an award, or price tag attached before we make our hygiene a priority?

It is very important for us to take hygiene issues seriously because health is wealth. We don’t necessarily have to wait till we fall ill or get admitted into hospital before we begin to pay utmost attention to washing our fruits before eating them, wearing clean clothes, getting enough exercise, taking our bath and maintaining a clean surrounding. Above all, let’s always remember that a clean and healthy lifestyle is a way of staying far from illness.