FEATURE INFECTIONS Also modern environments, homes and offices, gyms and transport systems will have far fewer types of microbes than they would have done a couple of hundred years ago. Some have also suggested that moving away from “traditional” human environments like farms means we are having to adapt to an entirely new type of threat. The microbes from urban areas are entirely different from those found in rural environments. It doesn’t matter how clean you think your home is…. Even immaculate properties are abound with bacteria, viruses, fungi, moulds and dust mites. One of, if not the, most consistent finding is that children who grow up on a farm, in close proximity to animals are far less likely to develop allergies or asthma. A quick online search will develop two camps, those who think that they Hygiene hypothesis is valid and those who think it isn’t. In fact some scientists have conducted studies that found a link between the vegetation you grew up around and the likelihood you would grow up allergic to something. Happily most seem to think that the fact that humanity has eradicated so many diseases doesn’t mean we have to abandon modern medicinal and cleaning techniques. Indeed as we lose trust in antibiotics, move around the globe more freely and as our population gets older we learn more and more how important cleaning and hygiene is to not just businesses but humanity in general. THE FUTURE That being said none of us should get to complacent. Gov.uk boasts a reports entitled: “Foresight. Infectious Diseases: preparing for the future. Executive Summary. Office of Science and Innovation, London (2006).” Produced by the UK Government’s Foresight project: Infectious Diseases: preparing for the future. They say that it is of interest to: “Policy makers concerned with infectious diseases in humans, animals and plants. It will also be of interest to a wide range of disease management professionals, people in industry and business, and researchers in natural and social sciences. The report takes an international perspective and will therefore be of interest to governments and non-governmental organisations across the world.” SIR DAVID KING KB SCD FRS Chief scientific adviser to HM Government, and Head of the Office of Science and Innovation commented: “Firstly, infectious diseases are diverse and dynamic; new outbreaks occur frequently and we are discovering new infectious agents year on year. This argues the need for policies that are flexible in relation to an evolving threat, and which can address a wide spectrum of possible diseases. “Secondly, new detection, identification and monitoring systems could provide a step-change in our capability to manage diseases in the future. However, this potential will only be realised if the deployment of the new systems takes careful account of local systems of culture and governance, and provided the systems are integrated with effective control measures.” 24 JUNE 2016 CLEANING HYGIENE TODAY One of, if not the, most consistent fi nding is that children who grow up on a farm, in close proximity to animals are far less likely to develop allergies or asthma”
Cleaning & Hygiene Today June 2016
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