Prevention Guide — evidence-based

Seven pillars of infectious disease prevention, grounded in public health evidence. From hand hygiene to vaccination, mosquito control to food safety — the fundamentals that protect you and your community.

Hand Hygiene

Handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds remains one of the most effective — and most underestimated — tools against infectious disease. It interrupts the transmission of fecal-oral pathogens (norovirus, rotavirus, hepatitis A, E. coli), respiratory viruses transferred via touch, and contact-transmitted pathogens like MRSA.

Wash after using the toilet, before eating, after coughing or blowing your nose, and after contact with potentially contaminated surfaces.
Use alcohol-based hand sanitiser (minimum 60% alcohol) when soap and water are unavailable. Sanitiser is effective against most viruses but does NOT kill C. difficile spores or Cryptosporidium — soap and water are needed.
Dry hands thoroughly — wet hands transfer bacteria more readily.

Vaccination

Vaccines are the single most powerful public health tool ever developed, responsible for eradicating smallpox, eliminating polio from most of the world, and dramatically reducing the burden of measles, hepatitis B, influenza, and dozens of other diseases. Staying up to date with recommended vaccines — including annual flu vaccines and COVID-19 boosters — provides individual and community (herd) protection.

Ensure childhood vaccination schedules are completed for your children (MMR, DTaP, polio, hepatitis B, varicella, rotavirus, HPV).
Adults should review their vaccination status: tetanus/diphtheria booster every 10 years, shingles vaccine (Shingrix) at age 50+, annual influenza vaccine, updated COVID-19 vaccine annually.
Travel vaccines are critical for international travel — yellow fever, typhoid, hepatitis A/B, meningococcal, Japanese encephalitis depending on destination.
Consult your healthcare provider about immunocompromising conditions that may affect vaccine recommendations.

Mosquito & Vector Protection

Mosquito-borne diseases — dengue, malaria, chikungunya, Zika, yellow fever, West Nile — collectively cause hundreds of millions of infections and hundreds of thousands of deaths annually. Protection is achievable with consistent use of the following measures:

Insect repellent: Use EPA-registered repellents: DEET (20–50%), picaridin (20%), IR3535, or plant-based OLE/PMD. Apply to exposed skin per label. Safe in pregnancy and for children over 2 months (use lower concentrations for children).
Clothing: Long-sleeved shirts and long trousers during peak mosquito activity. Permethrin-treated clothing provides additional protection.
Eliminate breeding sites: Empty standing water from containers, flower pots, gutters, tyres weekly. Use larvicide in containers that cannot be emptied.
Bed nets: Insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) are essential for malaria prevention in endemic areas.
Screens and air conditioning: Well-screened windows/doors and air conditioning dramatically reduce indoor mosquito exposure.

Respiratory Protection

Airborne and droplet pathogens — influenza, COVID-19, measles, tuberculosis, RSV — spread through the air. Respiratory protection strategies reduce transmission risk substantially:

Masks: In high-risk situations (crowded indoor spaces, healthcare settings, during local outbreaks), N95/FFP2 respirators filter ≥95% of airborne particles. Surgical masks reduce large-droplet spread. Cloth masks provide some protection against droplets.
Ventilation: Well-ventilated spaces with high outdoor air exchange reduce airborne virus concentrations dramatically. Open windows where possible; use HEPA air purifiers in poorly ventilated rooms.
Cough etiquette: Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow — never your hands. Dispose of tissues immediately and wash hands.
Stay home when sick: Remaining at home when symptomatic — even with mild illness — is one of the most effective things an individual can do to reduce transmission to colleagues, family members, and vulnerable contacts.
Isolation of confirmed cases: Follow public health guidance on isolation periods for COVID-19, influenza, and other respiratory illnesses.

Food & Water Safety

Fecal-oral pathogens — cholera, typhoid, hepatitis A, norovirus, rotavirus — spread through contaminated food and water, causing enormous global morbidity and mortality, especially in low-income countries and during travel:

Safe water: Drink treated, piped, or bottled water in settings where water safety is uncertain. Boiling water for one minute kills virtually all pathogens. Water purification tablets or filter/UV systems are alternatives.
Safe food preparation: Cook meat, fish, poultry, and eggs to appropriate temperatures (e.g., poultry to 74°C/165°F). Avoid cross-contamination between raw meat and ready-to-eat foods. Refrigerate perishables promptly.
Traveller's precautions: "Boil it, cook it, peel it or leave it" remains a reasonable heuristic. Avoid raw vegetables, unpeeled fruits, ice, and street food with uncertain preparation in high-risk areas.
Oral rehydration salts are the cornerstone of treatment for gastroenteritis — preventing the dehydration that causes most deaths from diarrhoeal disease.

Travel Health

International travel exposes travellers to pathogens not present in their home country and removes them from healthcare systems they know. Preparation significantly reduces travel-associated infectious disease risk:

Consult a travel medicine clinic or your doctor 4–6 weeks before travel for destination-specific vaccine and chemoprophylaxis recommendations.
Essential travel vaccines for many tropical destinations: hepatitis A, typhoid, yellow fever (required for some countries), Japanese encephalitis, meningococcal meningitis.
Malaria chemoprophylaxis is essential for travel to endemic areas — consult your provider about appropriate drug choice (atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine).
Check CDC Travel Health Notices and WHO International Travel and Health guidelines for your destination before travelling.
Seek medical care promptly if you develop fever within 3 months of returning from a malaria-endemic area — always inform healthcare providers of your travel history.

General Health & Immune Support

While no supplement or lifestyle factor provides immunity, overall health status meaningfully influences how your body responds to infectious exposures:

Sleep: Consistently sleeping less than 7 hours per night is associated with significantly increased susceptibility to viral infection (including common cold and influenza), likely through impaired T cell function and reduced cytokine response.
Physical activity: Regular moderate exercise enhances immune surveillance and is associated with reduced incidence and severity of respiratory infections. Avoid intense exercise during acute infection.
Nutrition: Micronutrient deficiencies — especially vitamin D, zinc, and vitamin C — are associated with increased infection risk. Maintain a varied diet. Consider vitamin D supplementation in populations with limited sun exposure.
Smoking cessation: Smoking damages respiratory epithelium and impairs mucociliary clearance and immune responses. Smokers have significantly higher risk of severe influenza, COVID-19, pneumonia, and tuberculosis.
Chronic disease management: Well-controlled diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic conditions are associated with lower infection risk and less severe outcomes than poorly controlled disease.