Simple sanitary practices should be practiced reflexly all the time to prevent the spread of infection. An ounce of prevention is always better than a pound of cure.

Respiratory Illnesses

• Frequent hand washing: with soap and water. Washing hands cleans out all germs that have deposited on one’s hands during sneezing or coughing. Both the patient and the caregiver should meticulously wash their hands both before and after coming in contact with each other. If soap and water are not available, please use alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
• The correct sneezing technique: Cover your nose and mouth while coughing or sneezing with tissues. Throw away dirty tissues immediately. If tissues are not available, then sneeze or cough into the inner sleeve (at the elbow) of your clothing. This technique prevents contamination of your hands.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
• Avoid close contact with sick people unless necessary.
• Stay at home for at least 24 hours after your fever has gone (there should be no fever off medications to control fever).

Gastrointestinal illnesses

• Washing hands after going to the toilet and before ingesting meals. Hands should ideally be wet with water and plain or antimicrobial soap and rubbed together for 15 to 30 seconds. Pay particular attention the fingernails, between the fingers, and the wrists. Hands should be rinsed thoroughly, and dried with a single-use towel.
• Avoid drinking unclean water (in India, please try and ensure that the water is treated/boiled for at least a minute) or food (that effectively rules out street food – though delicious, but is a potential source of different infections – just think whether they have any source of water and how they wash the utensils in which they serve food to us!).
• A definite no-no is raw foods and please peel your fruit! The vendors may well be using contaminated water to wash fruits and vegetables after cutting them.
• For visitors from countries where the prevalence is not high:
  • About 3 per 1000 travelers staying in luxury hotels and 20 per 1000 travelers who eat and drink in unhygienic conditions contract Hepatitis A.
  • Drink only bottled water or  boil tap water for at least a minute.
  • Remember ice cubes are potentially dangerous.
  • Brushing of teeth with contaminated water is enough to make one sick.
  • Eat only cooked food and that too food that is hot to touch and not lying around for some time.

One doesn’t need fancy gloves or masks. Common sense and simple sanitary practices should protect you and others from illnesses that can be very serious at worst and a nuisance at the best.