The man dubbed as “the world’s dirtiest man” has died at the age of 94, barely a few months after taking a bath for the first time in 60 years.
According to the The Guardian, Amou Haji, who was afraid of water died on Sunday, in the village of Dejgah in Iran’s southern province of Fars.
Haji refrained from taking shower in the fear of “getting sick”.
Locals had tried for years to get Haji to take a bath, but failed to get him clean until a few months ago.
Haji finally succumbed to pressure and washed a few months ago.
The man who gained global attention for not bathing for over six decades allegedly suffered some “emotional setbacks in his youth”, which was one of the the reasons why he had made the decision not taking a bath with water or soap.
According to Barbara Barash, from the Ohio State Medical Centre, when it comes to bathing, there has been no true consensus on how often you should bathe.
She says that in the US, most people bathe daily but, in other countries, many people bathe only 2 – 3 times per week or less.
Barash says that the overgrowth of bacteria and oils that build up from not bathing can also lead to skin infections.
Skin cells reproduce, shedding old ones and growing new ones, and when you don’t bathe the dead skin cells can accumulate on your skin, leading to a hyper-pigmentation of the skin, and of course, body odour.
According to The Guardian, after Haji’s death, the unofficial record could go to an Indian man who also had not bathed for much of his life.