Why Flip-Flops?
Why flip flops & not closed toed shoes?
Flip-flops are an affordable source of shoes to place on someones feet. Also they are a nice cool & light shoe that many people can wear in hot and humid climates like countries in Africa, South America, and other parts of the world.
Closed toed shoes, like sneakers, can carry up to 9 species of bacterial, if they are not properly cleaned if they get dirty. Many of the people who receive shoes like this, and get them dirty in the mud and poor conditioned areas do not have the sources to keep their shoes clean enough. Some of the more common bacteria are the following:
- Escherichia coli (E. Coli) - causing symptoms ranging from severe stomach pain accompanied by diarrhea to kidney failure and potential death in 1 out of 50 victims.
- Klebsiella pneumonia - a gram-negative bacteria that can rapidly destroy lung tissue and in 25 to 50% of patients will cause death.
- Serratia ficaria - causing gallbladder empyemas and sepsis as well as biliary infections.
There is an unsound amount of people in 3rd world countries, including children, that walk around & work barefoot. Another epidemic, is the result of little parasitic creatures called Jiggers.
Jiggers are small insects that look like fleas and are the culprits in the epidemic which causes parts of the body to rot. They often
enter through the feet and then once inside a person's body, they suck the blood, grow and breed, multiplying by the hundreds.
Flip-flops can help prevent many of these issues and much more including bloodborne pathogens, deformities, and amputations.