HOME HEALTH GUIDE

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5308, 22 January 1947, Page 3

HOME HEALTH GUIDE

DAYLIGHT' KILLS GFRMS. (By Department of Health.) Many of the diseases of an infeetious nature are spread by droplets from Ihe mouths and throats of sufi'urers. Some of the germs die soon after falling to the ground and drying! But there are big families of germs that resist drying. For example, that big family of germs that cause septic conditions — staphylocoeci and streptococci. Beeause of this capaeity many germs survive- drying for a long time. Cust and dirt are enemies to health. A worker sweeping out a cubicle vacated three days earlier by a patient with puerperal^ f ever, herself developed a septic throat with oxactly the same type oi germ as had caused the patient's fever. The dust had driecl haemolytic streptococci germs in it. They caused the sore throat. This fact has become recognised in hospital piactice — that infection can oe dust borne, Counter-measures that have been tried are the oiling of floors and bed linen and blankets; also the use of ultraviolet rays in wards and in theatres — very elfective against moist germs, not so good against dry ones. Direct daylig'ht, apart from sunlight, kills germs whether moist or dry in dust. It used to be thought that when the daylight passed through a window ordinary glass stopped the ultraviolet rays and robbed light of its genn-killing power. Reeent work has shown that diffused daylight does kill germs. For example, some natuval pus placed in glass coverecT dishes and exposed to daylight through a window glass was made sterile in six to li) days. Some controls in a darlc ciipjlLard yielded lirving germs up to 110 days. The moral — eleanliness pays in the fight against disease. Dust and dirt carry germs. Iveep them1 out of your house as much as possible. Beeause we cannot keep absolutely dustless homes and public places vememher our ally, daylight. Keep the blinds up and let the light in as much as possible, for it will k!ll germs slowly but surely. And let us have big windows in our homes and public buildings. We • cannot get sunshine everyvvhere; daylight we can, and should, encourage evevywhore as much as possible in the war against germs.