Humans are the most important resource in today’s world. Therefore, a man needs to be healthy.
A healthy man is the most worthy wealth for a successful society. Two crucial words linked with a man’s health are hygiene and sanitation.
These words are important as they are linked with a man’s health.
Healthiness can not be dreamt of without the use of these two words. Most people use these words interchangeably.
Most diseases spread because of a lack of sanitation and hygiene—for example, the spread of the Ebola virus.
Key Takeaways
- Hygiene refers to practices that promote good health and prevent the spread of disease, such as washing hands and brushing teeth.
- Sanitation refers to waste disposal and providing clean water and other basic services to promote public health.
- While hygiene is associated with personal behavior, sanitation focuses more on infrastructure and public services.
Hygiene vs Sanitation
Hygiene is the science and practice of maintaining health and preventing disease through cleanliness. On the other hand, sanitation refers to the public health conditions related to clean drinking water and adequate treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage.
The concept of the word “hygiene” mainly refers to an individual body. Personal hygiene is highly important to take precautions.
It is to prevent the spread of pathogens (or diseases causing microorganisms) among people. It is mainly for human beings.
However, it is all about taking personal cleanliness. Hygiene emphasizes solely on an individual.
It refers to good health and healthy living achieved by personal care.
“Sanitation” is a concept that combines the cleanliness of society as a whole. It refers to the safe and secure disposal of garbage and wastes surrounding human beings.
This is mainly for the waste and garbages surrounding men. It is all about managing the accumulated waste produced by humans around them.
It emphasizes purely on the whole society and not the individual only. This concept refers to good health and healthy living that is achieved by preventing man from contacting pathogens from waste.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Hygiene | Sanitation |
|---|---|---|
| Refers to | It refers to good and healthy living achieved by taking personal care. | It refers to good healthy living, which is achieved by preventing man from garbage contacting. |
| Emphasis | Purely on an individual. | Purely on the whole society. |
| About | All about personal cleanliness. | All about managing the garbage and wastes produced by humans. |
| Concept | The concept is related to a single human body. | This concept combines the cleanliness of society as a whole. |
| Importance | It is important to prevent the spread of pathogens. | It is related to the disposal of garbage surrounding humans. |
| Characteristic | Solely the human beings. | It is for the garbage and wastes surrounding men. |
What is Hygiene?
Hygiene, according to WHO, is related to health. The major aspects of health care are to preserve health and to prevent diseases.
One of the famous topics which are widely used in discussion in the public and private sectors is personal hygiene. The spread of diseases can be controlled if good personal hygiene is maintained.
Everyday hygienic practices include taking a bath and washing clothes. These practices protect the body from the accumulation of pathogenic bacteria.
It also contributes to improving the health of society as well. In women, it is very important to maintain personal hygiene to prevent diseases like cystitis during menstruation.
The term hygiene is originated from a Greek word meaning “an act of health.” Hygienic practices include feminine hygiene, oral hygiene, and many more.
The common ways of achieving personal hygiene are by taking a bath, brushing the teeth, and washing the hands.
What is Sanitation?
According to WHO, sanitation means the safe disposal of human faces and urine and the adequate provision of facilities and services. Health organizations and government bodies pay attention to the development of infrastructure facilities.
They aim to improve sanitation all over the world. However, sanitation would be effective if they were started at the household level.
Good sanitation is important as it provides a lifetime solution for dangerous contamination and communicable diseases.
Disposal of the waste is more important. Humans release feces and urine into river streams, polluting water bodies.
The disease-causing microbes contaminate the drinking water. Sanitation is better in those areas where the number of people dwelling is low.
There, the management to improve sanitation practices can be implemented effortlessly too. Areas with high-density people should be handled carefully.
Otherwise, the spread of diseases would be dynamic and devastating.
Main Differences Between Hygiene and Sanitation
- The concept of hygiene is important to a single human personal body. In contrast, sanitation is a concept combining the cleanliness of society as a whole.
- Personal hygiene is important to take precautions to prevent the spread of pathogens or diseases causing microorganisms among people. However, sanitation is related to the disposal of garbage surrounding human beings.
- Hygiene is mainly for human beings. On the other hand, sanitation is mainly for the garbage and waste surrounding men.
- Hygiene is all about personal cleanliness. However, sanitation is about managing the garbage and waste produced by humans.
- Hygiene emphasizes purely on an individual. However, sanitation emphasizes purely on the whole society.
- Hygiene refers to good health and healthy living achieved by taking personal care. However, sanitation refers to good health and healthy living, which is achieved by preventing man-to-man contact and with garbage that has pathogens.
Last Updated : 20 June, 2023
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Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
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