- Role of home and personal hygiene small relative to other factors.
- Clean-looking homes full of bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc.
- Routine weekly cleaning - no sustained effect on microbe levels
- Cannot create “sterile” home - microbes constantly replaced via dust, air, body flora, pets, contaminated foods.
Key point may be:
- Microbial content of homes now DIFFERENT - but not because of “increased” cleanliness
- e.g modern urban homes – interact c different environment cf rural homes prior to 1800s
- helminths now relatively rare - up to 1950s 50% children infested with pinworm