Health Alert: Be careful, toilet germs can cause food poisoning

There are dangers in the bathroom and they come in the form of bacteria, virus and fungi. These germs are enemies that you may not see with your physical eyes but they are capable of wreaking the same havoc as a mighty weapon.

The toilet is one of the vulnerable places that many people can contract infections according to doctors. Physicians say that using an unsanitary toilet is akin to eating contaminated food, which can cause diseases.

A family physician, Dr. Femi Omolola, notes that germs in the toilets are the leading causes of diarrhoea, cholera and other food-borne and gastro -intestinal diseases.

He says, “There are many bacteria and viruses in the urine and faeces that we pass out. Some are good, while some are harmful. For instance, E.coli, a bacteria found in faeces, when ingested can lead to diarrhoea.

“The bulk of germs in the body are passed out through the faeces. If you do not clean your hands after using the toilet, you can transfer the bacteria to your mouth and other openings of the body, including the vagina for women.

“E. coli, for example, can cause serious stooling and vomiting and cholera. If you ingest streptococcus, you can have sore throat and other ear and throat infections, depending on how severe the bacteria load is.

Omolola explains that the transfer of germs can be from the toilet to other places in the home, including the kitchen where food is made predisposing others to food poisoning.

“The bacteria stick to fingers. If you cook with those hands, you will transfer it to the food you have prepared and those who eat it may fall sick. It is a form of food poisoning.

“Sometime when you suffer a bout of diarrhoea after eating a meal, it may not be the food, but the 

bacteria that came from the hand of the person that cooked the meal. That is even a toilet infection. 

 That is why hand-washing with soap and water is so important after using the bathroom. You should always check the hygiene of the person making your food.”

A public health physician, Dr. Segun Agunbiade, says toilets have wet environment that allows microbes to thrive hence the need to keep them germ free.

According to him, germs, which are usually in form of bacteria, virus, and fungi can cause pneumonia, urinary tract infections, pelvic inflammation, genital herpes and tuberculosis.

Agunbiade says germs, which abound in the bathtub, drains and faucets and other handles in the bathroom, when allowed to roam freely, can predispose its users to serious urinary tract infections that may affect the bladder.

He says, “A urinary tract infection is caused by germs getting into the urinary tract system and potentially travelling up to the bladder or even the kidneys.

“If you don’t clean your hands before and after using the toilet, you can get infected with these germs. Preventing UTI’s is critical because they can escalate quickly.”

Urinary tract infections, according to the physicians, can predispose people to bladder incontinence and fertility in men and women.

Contrary to what you have heard, the toilet seat is not the place that is loaded with the germs. It is the sinks, taps and flushing handle.

A study by scientists at the University of Arizona, United States, shows that sinks are the biggest breeding germ colonies since the water keeps the germs alive.

The scientists found that the bulk of bacteria in the toilet are on the flushing handle, the sink surfaces, the shower faucet, the floor and under the toilet seats.

“Yes, there are germs on toilet seats. Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and E. coli can be there, but their ability to harm is very limited. Apparently, most disease-causing organisms can survive only seconds on the toilet seat. You can only be infected when the germs have direct contact with your genital tract, or unless they enter through a cut or sore on your thigh or leg.

“In short, the probability of contracting a disease from the toilet seat, unless you have open sores on your behind, equates to the chance of getting struck by lightning. The main infection occurs when you do not wash your fingers, which have carried germs while you are cleaning up. So don’t flush and forget to wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.”

Also, gynaecologists have bust the myth that one can contract sexually transmitted diseases by sharing toilets with an infected person.

They stress that it is impossible to contract STDS through the toilet, they add that as the names of the infections suggest, their transmission can only be through sex.

According to scientists, Krasnick-Warsh, and Strong-Boag, in their book, “Sexual Myths” the common belief that sitting on the toilet seat puts you at risk for gonorrhoea or syphilis is false.

The reality, they say, is that STDs spread not via the toilet seat, but by the good-old-fashioned vehicle: sex.

Boag says, “To my knowledge, no one has ever acquired an STD on the toilet seat, unless they were having sex on the toilet seat.”

However, cholera, a disease that kills over 500,000 people in a year globally, is as deadly as gonorrhoea. It occurs majorly when people slack on their sanitary hygiene. Please, clean your toilets and wash both hands after using the toilet.