What is Home Hygiene?
Protecting the family from infections via food & water hygiene, handwashing, laundry etc. Care of family members who are infected, or at greater risk of infection.
Read more about the IFH risk-based approach to hygiene.
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Find out more about what the IFH does.
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IFH sends out regular newsletters and alerts which feature the latest news, research publications and resources on hygiene in the home and everyday life.
IFH White Paper 2021
In light of recent events, IFH has prepared a white paper to explore what needs to be learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Hopefully, the pandemic will refocus attention of politicians, healthcare professionals, academics and others on the vital role of public hygiene understanding and hygiene behaviour. The report centres around a risk management approach (Targeted Hygiene) that provides the means to develop strategy appropriate to the hygiene issues we currently face in our homes and everyday lives. It also puts out calls to action to the many stakeholder groups including scientists, healthcare professionals, environmentalists. It is only by working together that we will be able to achieve the health benefits hygiene in home and everyday life offers..
Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection – what you need to do to protect yourself against infection – and make sure you do not spread infection to others
Advice sheets, blogs and other resources to provide the public with advice and understanding of the lifestyle changes and hygiene measures they will need to adopt to prevent spread of the COVID-19 infection. The information covers the various (and varying) situations in which individuals may find themselves in their home and everyday lives including being infected, self isolated, belonging to a vulnerable group, or just trying to carry on with working in the community whilst also caring for themselves and others.
The role of hygiene in home and everyday life in tackling antibiotic resistance
Hygiene in our homes and everyday lives has a vital role in tackling antibiotic resistance (AMR). Good hygiene contributes in the fight against AMR in two ways, by preventing infection, thereby reducing the need for antibiotic prescribing and preventing person to person spread of infections which are antibiotic resistant.
Consumer behaviour is both the core problem and the solution.
SafeConsume is an EU project funded by Horizon2020. The overall objective is to reduce the health burden from foodborne illnesses.
SafeConsume is a 5 year project (2017-2022) involving 32 partners in 14 countries in Europe.
The key aim is to change consumers behaviour to reduce exposure to hazards and decrease risk, through developing effective and convenient tools and products, information strategies, education and inclusive food safety policy.
Restoring public confidence in hygiene is key to behaviour change
One of the barriers which must be overcome if we are to be successful in promoting hygiene behaviour change is the publics confusion about hygiene - what it is and how it differs from cleanliness.
