In the area of public health awareness, there is a worrying error: shared toilets must be infected with sexually transmitted diseases. This perception has led many to fear and unease when using public toilets, yet it is not absolute.
Sexually transmitted diseases, such as AIDS, syphilis, gonorrhoea, sturgeon, etc., are mainly transmitted through sexual contact, including vaginal, anal and oral sex. The pathogens of these diseases need a specific environment to survive and spread after they leave the body. In the case of HIV, for example, it is highly vulnerable in the outside environment, and it quickly loses activity when it leaves the human body warm and suitable for body fluids such as blood and semen. Studies have shown that the HIV virus survives on dry toilet surfaces for an extremely short period of time and is almost instantaneous. Similarly, syphilis Spirals, gonorrhea, etc. are difficult to survive and remain pathogenic on the toilet surface for long periods.
There are, of course, some special circumstances to consider. In theory, there is a very low risk of infection if there are fresh, large amounts of pathogens on the toilet and the user ‘ s skin mucous membranes are punctured, such as anal fractures, skin damage due to anal rashes, wounds during female physiology, etc. However, the probability of this occurring is extremely low, as toilets are regularly cleaned and disinfected in normal public health environments, and even if there are small amounts of endocrine residues, they contain only a limited number of pathogens that can easily cause infection through normal human immune lines. For example, acute wetting is caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV), which, while relatively stable in a given environment, is extremely rare in cases of transmission through shared toilets. Because HPV infections usually require a virus to be directly exposed to the mucus or broken skin of the human body and to reach a certain number of local levels before they can cause a disease, while the number of HPVs on toilets is often insufficient to cause infection.
In addition, the human body ‘ s own immune system plays an important protective role. Even if a small number of pathogens attempted to invade, the immune system was able to identify and remove them and prevent infection. The immune system is like the body’s “guardian” and is always alert to the intrusion of an alien pathogen, which is usually able to respond effectively to indirect and low-dose exposure routes through toilets.
While sharing toilets is extremely unlikely to contain sexually transmitted diseases, this does not mean that we can ignore the sanitation of public toilets. When using a public toilet, we can take some simple precautions to further reduce risk. For example, before use, toilet rings can be wiped with disinfected wet towels, which can effectively remove bacteria and viruses that may exist on the surface, or one-time toilet pads can be used to avoid direct skin contact with the toilet surface. After use, timely hand-washing is an essential link, and hands are carefully washed with soap and running water, which removes the pathogens that may be contaminated on the hands and prevents them from being brought into the body, including through the mouth and the eyes.
The sharing of toilets does not necessarily involve sexually transmitted diseases. We should look at this issue rationally and not be dominated by unnecessary fear. While maintaining good hygiene practices, believe in the scientific basis, avoid excessive anxiety and discrimination resulting from misunderstandings and work together to create a healthy and rational public health environment.