Are Infections Really That Common?

Infections of all kinds are rampant in the tropics because of the warm, and often moist environment. This provides an ideal setting for bacteria to multiply and grow. These bacteria lie in wait living in water, in the soil and on just about any exposed surface. This is part of why it is so easy to become ill in the tropics… these bacteria are everywhere.

The body’s first line of defense is the skin. As long as this barrier is intact many disease-causing organisms are not able to access the body. (There are a few pathogens, however, that can even penetrate intact skin to cause disease. See hookworm and threadworm for more information.)

Why Is This Such a Big Problem?

Any break in the skin can lead to an infection and with bacteria being everywhere it is very easy for these bacteria to enter into a wound or sore and grow. These bacteria keep growing and multiplying until they cause numerous problems like fever, fatigue, further skin and tissue destruction or even life threatening sepsis (when the infection is in the blood and the whole body-system). The lack of clean water, malnutrition, and abundance of flies all increase the potential for developing infections. The lack of appropriate health services also makes it difficult to have small wounds treated so that they can heal well. As a result, wounds tend to fester increasing exposure to harmful bacteria.

Sometimes a wound can develop into an ulcer. Ulcers are deeper and are usually chronic. In many cases individuals don’t have the means to get medical care in order to heal their ulcers. If dedicated and regular care is given these can heal over the course of years. The area will typically remain scarred, however, and the skin that eventually covers the wound is thin and paper-like, only increasing the odds of another wound in the future.

How Will Shoes Make a Difference?

Here are a few ways in which shoes will affect the health of the children:

First of all, appropriate shoes help to protect the feet from injuries such as scrapes and cuts. By keeping the skin free of injury many infections can be prevented.

Second, if a sore or cut is already present, the area and the dressing will be protected allowing the area to heal.

Third, by wearing shoes the feet themselves are protected from everyday abuse. When walking barefoot all of the time the skin on the feet becomes very thick and dry. This thickened skin eventually cracks leading to places where bacteria and fungi can grow causing further damage to the skin.

Once again, the skin is the body’s first line of defense… Keeping the skin healthy is very important to overall health.