Staying healthy

Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.

Ms. Jemima is a health teacher at Maweni Primary School. One morning, she was inspecting the school surroundings. She saw two pupils sharing the same mango by biting it. She advised them not to share fruits the way they did.

During the assembly, the health teacher talked about the health risks that we face in the environment. The following was her presentation:

When we get into contact with germs, we may contract diseases. Some of the ways through which you can be infected are biting from the same fruit and eating without washing hands. Moreover, eating unwashed fruits, living under dirty surroundings, and keeping long nails can host and spread germs to others.

To be safe from germs, ensure that you wash your hands with clean water and soap. Clean your surrounding environment regularly. Wash fruits before eating. Clean the toilets with disinfectant or ash to kill harmful bacteria. You must also assist your parents to clean the kitchen and utensils to keep flies away. In addition, clean your shoes, handkerchiefs, socks, underwear, and other clothes. Ensure that your fingernails are short and clean to avoid bacterial as well as viral infections.

Remember that we live with people; some of them are infected with incurable diseases such as HIV/AIDS. When you buy a sweet, an ice cream, or any other food, please do not share it mouth-to-mouth. Take precaution because we do not know each other's health status. Be careful with your toothbrush and underwear. Keep them clean and do not share.

Do not trust anybody else's health status because you cannot recognize an infected person by using naked eyes. Do not touch people's wounds or any kind of body fluids without protection. Wear gloves or plastic bags on your hands to protect yourself from infections. If a pupil gets injured at school, please report the case to teachers. We will attend the injured person with our school first aid kit. Prevention is better than cure.

Questions

Answer the following questions.

1. Who is the health teacher at Maweni Primary School?
2. What were the two pupils doing in the school surroundings?
3. Who educated the pupils on the proper health habits?
4. What should you do before eating?
5. Why shouldn't we touch other people's wounds without protection?
6. How can you avoid infections?

Fill in the blanks using the words in the box.

(prevention, share, cure, disease, treatment)

1. It is not advisable to __________ toothbrushes and clothes.
2. Matonya went to the hospital for __________.
3. HIV/AIDS is an incurable _____________.
4. ____________ is better than cure.
5. AIDS is a disease that has no _____________.