Health hazard lurks in spit, say doctors
When a person spits, he or she unknowingly spreads the infection to another person
Update: 2014-08-15 06:06 GMT
Chennai: Spitting poses a major health hazard, medical experts point out, a fact that the public has not ingested sufficiently. Doctors say that the phlegm, especially from a disease carrier, is able to spread air-borne respiratory diseases, such as tuberculosis (TB), pneumonia, influenza and other viral infections.
“There are two types of diseases, communicable and non-communicable. When a person spits, he or she unknowingly spreads the infection to another person. There is 30-40 per cent chance of him transmitting the virus,” Dr. Baraneedharan of Global Hospitals said. Children and other people who don’t have immunity are likely to be affected, he further said.
Worse still, public hospitals in the state are afflicted by this practice whereby general hygiene takes a beating.
Alluding to the stark difference between public and private hospitals, V. Kangasabai, former Dean, Madras Medical College (MMC), said, “Constant efforts are being made to create a hygienic atmosphere in public hospitals, but people should realise that their actions could lead to contamination.” Further, he stated that something as simple as food items dropping to the floor and still being consumed by patients was worrisome.
A corporation health department official said that they employed three different approaches - namely punitive, educational and legal sanctions to discourage spitting, but to enable a sustainable solution, “People should constantly be reminded and made to imbibe this habit.”