Danish weather causes dry skin and many people struggle with cracking skin on their fingers and toes. Some succeed in healing the cracks with a good ointment, but for many people the cracks are an annoying and recurring problem. Particularly skin around the root of the nail can have a difficult time healing because the skin is very thin in this area.
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Protect yourself against infection – clean hands without using water and soap
Poor hand hygiene is the number one cause of transmission of the common cold, influenza and numerous other illnesses. The Danish Council for Better Hygiene estimates that poor hygiene kills more than 3,000 Danes every year, causes more than one million sick days and costs society close to DKK 4 billion a year. Currently, Influenza H1N1 is the strain that people should be particularly careful not to contract.
The best thing to do to avoid infection is to ensure good hand hygiene.
But what do you do if you are a travelling consultant, work as a truck driver or in construction and don’t have access to water and soap during the day?
Lubricate your nose with oil and avoid infections
Many Danes suffer from dry nasal mucous membranes. Particularly during the winter months with freezing temperatures and low humidity, mucous membranes are sensitive to dryness. This makes them prone to ulcers in the nose and particularly susceptible to infections as dry mucous membranes are less resistant to infectors.
Peak season for lice
Never before have so many children had lice. The number of children between the ages of 3 and 11 who have had lice has increased from 30 to 46% over the last eight years. Parents and schools are therefore encouraged to fight lice when children get back to school and other institutions and check their children for lice.
August is peak season for lice as many parents mistakenly believe that lice go on summer holidays with the children and don’t check their children for lice over the summer. Hence the risk of infecting others with lice is particularly high when children get back together after the summer.