Adults cover their toilet seat in public toilets with a piece of toilet paper or disposable paper cover, or they can also take a piece of tissue, dip it in disinfectant and wipe the seat. For an adult it will be no problem to visit the toilet in a squatting position, but what about children? They need help, especially because of their height. How about a public toilet? Should we be very careful?
Appearing clean to the eye can be deceptive
Even if you think a toilet seat in a public restroom looks perfectly clean, you shouldn’t sit on it. It can contain a fair amount of dangerous bacteria. The transmission and quantity of pathogenic microorganisms can vary. If the seat is infected with norovirus, which is most commonly seen in children as the intestinal flu, it contains only 18 types of viral particles. With salmonella, the number of bacteria is already higher. According to studies conducted, a toilet affected by salmonella can have up to 1,000 different microorganisms. The list doesn’t end there. Various other bacteria – E.coli and millions to trillions of others are found in such toilets.
Health in the lead role
We should be wary of risking our health, which is the most precious thing, in public toilets. Think about the fact that in such toilets there is no problem to get infected with certain bacteria or parasites. However, it is not necessarily the case that you will always become infected after visiting the toilets. The immune system also plays a major role in preventing an outbreak of disease if you come into contact with an infected toilet seat. On the other hand, people with immune deficiencies, diabetes or other illnesses should be extremely careful. People with compromised immunity include those who are currently taking antibiotics or steroids. Neither their immune system nor their intestinal microflora is in good shape.
Maintain maximum hygiene
As a matter of course, you should wash your hands properly after visiting any toilet, not just a public one. When you touch the faucet immediately after use, you transfer bacteria and viruses to it. Then wash your hands and touch the faucet again. Some viruses will come back on our hands. For this reason, touchless faucets are installed in public toilets, so we advise you not to touch them. The same goes for doors – you’d better nudge them with your elbow. It will be very important for children in schools to maintain proper hygiene. Taking school as a friendly and social place, it will be advisable to teach children good hygiene habits from an early age.