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8 Ways to Avoid The Most Common Infections from a Public Toilet
May 27, 2019
What is a Toilet Infection? Guest writer Dr Adesewa Ademola writes about common ‘toilet-based infections’ and key ways to avoid them.
Everyone prefers to use a clean toilet instead of a dirty one. While we can keep our toilets at home clean, the call to nature often happens outside our homes.
We may have the urge to use the toilet at the office, restaurant, place of worship, at a bus station, on the bus, at the train station, at the airport, on the aeroplane, at the stadium, at a music festival or just anywhere in transit.
What do you do when several miles away from home and you just have to go?
You’ll understand it better if you have had the experience.
I have! While some people can hold on until they get back home, I just can’t. At one of these times, the very sight of a toilet is instantly exhilarating – the sheer gratitude that there is a public toilet.
Indeed, having public toilets available is an important part of modern urban living. But they are also common sites for acquiring infection. Yes, ‘toilet-based infection‘.
If you ever have had one, you would agree that it is an uncomfortable experience.
Most of the time, it arrives seemingly out of the blue – and then suddenly develops into a full-blown infection that prevents normal business until it settles.
Usually, people (women in particular) use the term ‘toilet infection’ to refer to symptoms of infection occurring in the private parts – itching, vaginal discharge, painful urination or sex etc
It is a ‘layman’ (non-professional) term referring to these symptoms which actually do not arise from dirty toilets.
People commonly use it to refer to problems associated with vaginal infection symptoms.
Women associate these vaginal symptoms as being a result of using the toilet, but more often, these symptoms arise from either a sexually transmitted infection like Chlamydia or Gonorrhea; or non-sexual infections like Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) or Thrush (Candida).
Recommended – Preventing Ladies ‘Toilet Infections’
A group of different infections could arise from the use of the toilet.
These infections are due to bugs/germs (for example, bacteria, parasites and viruses) that are passed between people using public toilets.
In dirty toilets, these germs survive outside the human body on toilet seats, door handles and flush knobs of the water cisterns. These bugs are not visible to the naked eye, making users easily susceptible to infection.
However, be careful – because even a toilet that appears clean may hold large reservoirs of germs/bugs.
These present with many symptoms, some of which may be non-specific such as a common cold.
Others include gut and urinary symptoms and skin infections.
If not treated quickly, the infection may enter the bloodstream, causing more severe illness (sepsis) that may become life-threatening.
It’s also important to note that the toilet is NOT the only source of these infections, as these germs can be present in other locations.
However, the purpose of this post is to highlight to us that these infections can happen after using a public toilet.
In public toilets, it is very easy for germs to congregate and transmit from one person to the next after using the toilet.
Now, let’s look closely into some common bugs and the symptoms of toilet infections that could occur.
This gut infection is notorious for causing dysentery (diarrhoea containing mucus and blood).
The form of dysentery it causes is known as bacillary dysentery or shigellosis.
It is highly contagious and so easily passes from person to person in toilets with contamination.
The symptoms will also include abdominal pain, fever, tiredness etc
This is a viral bug that may cause liver disease.
It results
Here again, contaminated toilets play a huge part in
Although almost everyone who gets it recovers fully from Hepatitis A infection (with lifelong immunity), having the infection
It presents with symptoms such as fatigue, nausea & vomiting, joints & abdominal pains, dark urine, fever and, jaundice etc
Staphylococcus aureus (“staph”) as it is commonly known, is notorious for causing several types of infections, including skin infections such as:
It could also cause severe bone infections and lead to potentially life-threatening blood infections and Sepsis, especially if there are delays in diagnosis and treatment. Symptoms will depend on the location of the infection in each case.
Globally, this is a very common cause of gastroenteritis – affecting young children in particular. The symptoms also include vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal upset, as described above. If not promptly managed, it can lead to dehydration.
Important note
Other germs associated with using dirty toilets include Norovirus, Streptococcus, Influenza – etc. The key factors are unclean environments and contact that allows transmission from one person to another.
Some infections are highly contagious (gastroenteritis), so it is very important to avoid work or school once you come down with them. Prompt presentation at a health facility and treatment by competent health professionals is important.
Also, it is important to keep well hydrated during an episode of gastroenteritis to prevent dehydration and possible kidney injury.
Just as the name implies, sexual infections pass from one person to the next via sexual contact/intercourse – not through using the toilet, and they include Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, etc.
Bacterial vaginosis is the most common cause of vaginal discharge and itching in women, and it is not transmitted via toilet seats. It is caused by an imbalance between good and bad bacteria in the female genital tract.
As you can see, to prevent infections from toilets, everyone needs to play their part.
If you think you have one of these infections, seek medical treatment in a healthcare facility from qualified healthcare professionals.
When using a public toilet facility, take the necessary precautions as recommended above to protect yourself.
Remember to carry in your bags/pocket hand sanitisers and pocket tissues – and ALWAYS leave the toilet clean after use for the next person.
Those who provide and manage public toilet facilities should ensure that public toilets are kept clean and well-ventilated; that there is regular running water, soap, hand towels and dryers; that there is a stable supply of liquid dispensable soaps; and toilet paper.
Do you have any tips for preventing toilet-linked infections? Share some in the comments below.
More Reading:
Edited by AskAwayHealth Team
Disclaimer
All AskAwayHealth articles are written by practising Medical Practitioners on various healthcare conditions to provide evidence-based guidance and help promote quality healthcare. The advice in our material is not meant to replace the management of your specific condition by a qualified healthcare practitioner.
To discuss your condition, please contact a health practitioner or reach us directly
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