Some years have now passed since the global pandemic of the COVID-19. We are so glad that the world is returning to the way it was before that disaster. However, epidemics of COVID-19 variants have been continuing to occur around the world. Though the symptoms of most cases are no longer as severe as they were at that time, when the disease was a worldwide pandemic, but the infectivities themself are still not low. To tell the truth, there has been another significant increase in the number of infected people in Japan in the past few months. The severity of symptoms of those who are affected also seems to vary considerably from person to person. In addition to that, other seasonal infectious diseases, such as HFMD(hand-foot-and-mouth disease), are also quite noticeable. And this is also the time of year when food poisoning due to norovirus and other viruses occur frequently. Particularly during this time of the year, it is very important to take care because the hot and humid climate tends to reduce physical strength and immunity. It is important to improve our physical strength and immunity on a daily basis through healthy lifestyle habits such as diet, sleep, and exercise, as well as to increase our awareness of hygiene. Therefore, we would like to talk about “Hand washing / Gargling” in this issue.

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During the previous COVID-19 pandemic, the Japanese practice of “Hand washing / Gargling” attracted a lot of attention. It was by no means a uniquely Japanese practice, but the degree to which it was practiced on a daily basis was quite high, even by global standards, wasn’t it? In Japan, for a long time, “Hand washing / Gargling” was quite actively recommended in kindergartens, nursery schools, and elementary schools. This has been going on since the so-called “Spanish flu” pandemic period. Because of this, many Japanese did not seem to have much objection to thorough “Hand washing / Gargling” even in the case of the Corona Disaster. This “Hand washing / Gargling” practice is still quite effective in preventing the above-mentioned infectious diseases, food poisoning, etc. Sterilization with disinfectants is effective, but excessive use of disinfectants may have various harmful effects, and some people are not comfortable with frequent use of them, so “Hand washing / Gargling” may be easy and just right. We recommend that everyone take this opportunity to become a little more conscious and make it a habit to wash your hands and gargle. Measures to prevent disease, such as washing hands and gargling, using disinfectants, and wearing masks, are not just for yourself. They will be also effective preventive measures for the people around you. We should all be aware of them together.

Information on outbreaks of infectious diseases and infections in Japan is available on the website of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.