Young females often come to the hospital to complain of vaginal itching and discharge, and conclude that they got it from the toilet. It only takes some little more questions to establish that their condition is far from toilet infections. Most are probably having a STD, or better still, a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis, with none of these diseases having its origin from the toilet.

We often see the toilet as a haven of disease-causing organisms so much that we avoid skin contact with the toilet seats especially when we use public toilets. Some have devised several positions in the toilet all in a bid to avoid direct contact with the toilet seat. You may however be surprised to know that the toilet seat is not a common source of transmission of diseases. There are a couple of reasons this is so.

Most infective organisms cannot survive long enough on the toilet seat to be transmitted. Also, for there to be an infection, the organism must be transferred from the toilet seat into your genital tract or your urethral (the tube through which urine passes to the exterior) or through an open sore directly in contact with the toilet seat. This is only theoretically possible but highly unlikely. It is therefore extremely improbable to get STDs such as gonorrhoea and syphilis from the toilet seat.

In the light in these, it is important that if you have any genital symptom, you are able to understand how you got it and not just blame it on your use of a public toilet.

Does this mean that the toilet is totally safe? Of course not!

The problem is that we have been focusing our attention on the wrong places in the toilet. There are several other places in the toilet where diseases are lurking and you must be able to identify these places in other to be careful. One of such places is the faucet handle. Most people who use the toilet have not washed their hands before touching the faucet handle which means it can be the home of germs. Also, due to the moisture in the sink, it becomes a potential breeding place for germs. Other places are the door knob and towels.

Protecting yourself from toilet infections is easy. First of all, if you are healthy, your immune system should be able to fight most infections you will be exposed to in the toilet with the help of good hand-washing technique. Some people jet in and out of the toilet without washing their hands and this poses a risk to their health. Do not just rinse your hands in water; you must learn the proper technique of washing your hands with soap and water.

Wash every part of your hands properly – including the back of your hands, wrists and below your finger nails – for about 20 to 30 seconds with soap and water. You should learn to do this everytime you use the toilet, be it a public restroom or your private toilet.



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Saladin1:
El matteo good to know you are well and fine. You have really done well for folks in the importation business. It will be nice if you say hello to guys in that section every now and then.

Oga dey enjoy retirement.