Many Chinese do not have hygienic habits, which they only pay attention to occasionally with the menace of epidemics.

A new survey conducted by China Youth Daily and Sohu.com shows that 65.5 percent of the 609 questioned said their attention on personal hygiene during the outbreaks of epidemics is much more than usual.

The hygienic habits formed during the outbreak of the Symptoms of the Acute Respiratory Syndromes (SARS) were forgotten with the fading memories about the epidemic in the spring and summer of 2003, but were aroused again with the new threat of bird flu.

"But their tuition is too costly to form a hygienic habit only when epidemics come," said a web surfer during the survey.

Xiao Lin with a law office in Beijing said liquid disinfectant reappeared recently in the toilet of her firm.

"The liquid disinfectant has become a barometer of epidemics. During the spring and summer of 2003, there were also liquid disinfectant in the toilets. But sometime after SARS endemic ended, it's hard to find any," said Lin.

During the outbreak of SARS, she recalled, there were very few people spitting, and passengers kept apart from each other on buses. And foods were served on divided and one by one at dinner in canteens.

But such good habits were gone with SARS being eradicated, Lin said.

In the survey, 15.2 percent of the queried said that spitting on the ground is the most risky and harmful habit to people's health. And among other unhealthy habits include sneezing without covering mouth and nose, not washing hands either before meals or after using toilet, and failing to do enough physical exercises.

People's awareness of their personal hygiene is not adequate in China, which is detrimental to their health, said some health experts.

Another sample survey among 2,100 citizens in seven Chinese cities showed that 60 percent of the questioned don't take influenza for a serious disease, but a minor illness like bad colds. Most of those surveyed said they would not take a leave even when having a fever.

Influenza, however, is considered to a serious disease in the developed Western nations.

"Cultivating a hygienic habit should be part of our daily life, instead of an expedience," said a senior citizen.

Source: Xinhua