Wash your hands before cooking or eating.
Wash your hands after using the bathroom, changing a child's diapers, shaking hands, handling money, touching door handles, elevator buttons, light switches, handrails in public places, and handling pets.
Do not touch your eyes, nose, mouth, or any food after touching any contaminated surfaces until after you have washed your hands. Wear gloves to prevent contamination.
Keep cutting boards and food preparation areas clean by washing them with soap and water and allowing them to dry thoroughly.
Cook meats and seafood. Cooking to a temperature of 180°F (82°C) will kill disease-causing organisms. Use a meat thermometer when cooking roasts or whole turkeys to be sure food is cooked to a safe temperature.
Keep raw food away from cooked food. Avoid cross-contamination by using separate plates for the cooked and the raw food.
Drink purified water and use purified water for washing hands and cleaning food preparation areas. Water can be purified by boiling for a few minutes or by chemical treatments such as chlorination.
Keep food refrigerated to delay spoilage. Low temperatures slow down reproduction of bacteria.
Don't let cooked food sit at room temperature too long. Food should be promptly packed in shallow containers so it can chill quickly, and put in the refrigerator. Keeping food refrigerated at or below 4°C/40°F slows down bacterial growth.
Vegetables that are eaten raw, such as carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, etc., should be washed thoroughly. The vinegar in some salad dressings will also kill many types of bacteria.
Wash fruits that are cut, such as melons, to avoid transferring any dirt or contamination from the outside of the fruit to the inside during cutting.
Do not eat spoiled food, or any food that has an unpleasant smell or taste. You cannot always see, smell or taste harmful organisms. When in doubt, throw out old food rather than risk getting sick.
Breathe clean air. Avoid smoky, dusty, musty environments, or confined places where people are coughing or sneezing. Wearing a surgical face mask can reduce the chances of contracting or spreading diseases caused by infectious organisms carried in the droplets from coughing or sneezing.
Aedes Aegypti Avoid insect bites by using window screens, mosquito netting, insect repellents, and by being indoors between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active. Many viral, bacterial, and protozoan diseases are transmitted by insect bites from mosquitoes, flies, fleas, and ticks. Diseases transmitted by mosquitoes include Dengue Fever, Malaria, Rift Valley Fever, Yellow Fever, and various types of viral encephalitis such as West Nile virus.
Avoid walking barefoot on soil or swimming in water contaminated by feces. Hookworm and schistosomiasis infections start when the larvae penetrate the skin. It is possible to get parasites from cats and dogs. Test your pets for parasites regularly and dispose of their feces in a sanitary manner.
To prevent wart infections and athlete's foot, avoid walking barefoot in public areas such as showers or communal changing rooms. Avoid sharing shoes and socks.
Brush and floss your teeth every day before going to bed to prevent gum diseases and dental decay.
Many diseases are transferred by close contact with an infected individual. Be very selective in your intimate personal relationships, and avoid touching any sores, feces, or body fluids from a sick person.