A Nation That Spits, Coughs And Sneezes

A friend once recalled a disgusting experience he had in a public transport in Accra, Ghana. He was travelling in the local public transport, popularly called ‘trotro’. He had seen a friend and had popped out his hand to wave only to have his hand plastered with sputum from somewhere. Apparently, another passenger had just expectorated and spat the resultant phlegm which had landed in my friend's outstretched hand.

Spitting is the act of forcibly ejecting saliva or other substances from the mouth. This happens indiscriminately in public in many places in Ghana. Spitting is not the only thing done indiscriminately in public in Ghana. We cough openly and sneeze into the open air. Some spit, and it comes out between the front teeth in a along streak, parabola in shape, landing some distance away.

Coughing, sneezing or salivating is not a bad thing to do. Sneezing, for example, is the body’s way of getting rid of some types of viruses. When something enters our nose, a trigger is sent to the “sneeze centre” in our brains that immediately signals our reflexes to tightly close our eyes, throat and mouth. Next, the chest muscles vigorously contract and the throat muscles quickly relax for the final air, along with saliva and mucus to be forced out of the mouth and nose, reference www.healthfitness.com Coughing, on the other is a defence mechanism for removing mucus from the lungs. It also helps to clear the throat and respiratory tract. Saliva is a clear liquid that is secreted by salivary glands. It is made up of 99.5% water. It contains important substances the body needs to digest food and keep the teeth strong.

So how can something be wrong with what comes naturally in man? It is because when done in public and at the wrong time, it can affect the person close-by.

Sneezing is fast. It can reach a speed of 100,000mph and can expel around 100,000 germs into the air. It spreads air-borne diseases. For example, common cold is a viral infection of the lining of the nose. Cilia, (small hair inside the nose) transmit the virus up, through the nose to the adenoids (pieces of soft tissue at the back of the nose and throat). Research has shown that if one who has cold sneezes, the discharge is full of viruses. It can last for up to three hours on surfaces and on the skin.

The cold virus is microscopic. It becomes air-borne after a sneeze happens. Anybody around can inhale the virus without realising it. One is in danger of catching cold if one touches the skin of someone who has cold or touches any surface that he/she has touched and later introduce the infected hand to one’s nose. In a public transport, you cannot insist that nobody’s skin should touch you. It comes with the territory. You cannot ask a fellow passenger to stop coughing or sneezing in the trotro.

Tuberculosis is also an infectious disease that spreads through the air.When those who have the active form of it cough, sneeze or transmit any respiratory fluid via the air, the mycobacterium can spread. Left untreated, it can kill half of the people infected.

When people commute in public transport, the chances are that one would touch the seats; one’s skin would rub on another’s. Others will cough without covering their mouths, some may sneeze. By the nature of the trotro business, people embark and disembark frequently. Any viruses that get air-borne can be inhaled by anybody. Everywhere, we sneeze, we cough into the air and we spit onto the floor. We are a nation that sneezes, coughs and spits indiscriminately.

Is it entirely our fault? Our environment is not very clean at all times so one cannot walk about without smelling or seeing something that will cause us to spit, cough or sneeze. Refuse of all shades are hipped here and there. Drains are choked. There are different kinds of spices in the market places, for example, that will make one react by sneezing. One sees faecal matter wrapped in polythene and run over by a vehicle or stepped on by a pedestrian. As long as these things and others that trigger reaction exist, we are forced to spit sneeze or cough in reaction.

So is it time to introduce spittoons into public use? A spittoon is a receptacle made for spitting into. In some developed countries, the use of spittoons was a replacement of the previously common practice of spitting onto the floor, streets and sidewalks. In the late 19^th century, spittoons were common in pubs, brothels, saloons, hotels, stores, banks, railway carriages etc in the U.S. and Australia. Spittoons were used in Communist China until the late 1980s.

In Atlanta, Georgia, spittoons were used in their legislative sessions into the 1970s. Though itmay sound good, the public use of spittoons is antiquated. Also, if it is made with plastic, we cannot handle the resultant waste. Some might even start using the spittoons for purposes other than they were made for. We remain a nation that spits, coughs and sneezes.

How then do we deal with this national problem? Public education for major attitudinal and lifeclass change is our major bet. Health authorities must not relent in their health education drive to positively affect the lifeclass of our people. Most importantly, we must resolve to act with decorum when it comes to spitting, sneezing or coughing in public. We can help our nation to prevent any epidemic.

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