Gastrointestinal infections, urinary tract infections and hepatitis A are three diseases that can easily enter the body when using dirty toilets.
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Tien Dung, former Head of the Department of Pediatrics, Bach Mai Hospital, said that toilets are closely related to the digestive tract and infectious diseases. The reason is that substandard toilets cause bacteria to grow, and when used together and not cleaned regularly, it will increase the risk of disease for users.
The substandard toilets are temporary corrugated iron areas, lacking light, clean water, containing garbage, and without septic systems. According to the representative of the “School Hygiene” project, this situation occurs in many schools in Yen Bai and Lai Chau. Some places have been degraded for many years, but have not been renovated, serving 500-1,000 students every day. Teachers and students of the school have to clear the blockage more than a dozen times a day, and have to wait in line for a long time to use them.
Deteriorated toilets at Ly Tu Trong Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities (Mu Cang Chai, Yen Bai). Photo: School hygiene
According to Dr. Dung, many places consider the toilet problem as small and do not pay due attention. In fact, this problem creates negative impacts on the psychology and health of students. The doctor analyzed that many agents such as E.coli, salmonella and norovirus are found on the walls, surfaces and door handles of toilets. They cause digestive infections (diarrhea) in children, through contaminated hands. If not treated properly, this disease can cause many complications, commonly including: prolonged digestive disorders; malnutrition due to prolonged diarrhea; sepsis.
In addition, children may suffer from urinary tract infections. Common bacteria such as E. Coli can lead to lower urinary tract infections and if not treated promptly, the infection can spread to the upper urinary tract, causing pyelonephritis and complications such as sepsis and kidney failure.
In addition, the risk of hepatitis A infection also increases when children come into contact with contaminated surfaces or feces in public toilets. Although the disease is mild, a small number of cases can cause severe liver failure complications at a rate of about 10%. There is currently no specific treatment for the disease, only reducing symptoms by replacing fluids when the patient vomits or has diarrhea. The recovery process is slow, lasting several weeks or months.
Children wash their hands after cleaning. Photo: Vecteezy
Poor toilet facilities and lack of hand washing facilities also pose other health risks. For example, if children do not wash their hands after using the toilet and eating lunch at school, germs can be passed on to many children at the same time.
To prevent digestive and urinary tract diseases in children, Dr. Dung believes that many synchronous solutions need to be implemented. The first condition is that children have a standard toilet with clean water and an area to wash their hands with soap after use.
When cleaning hands, children should wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap is not available, the school can instruct children to use other standard hand sanitizers.
Toilets should be cleaned, disinfected and maintained regularly, especially frequently touched surfaces such as toilets, flush handles, faucets and door handles. Toilet spaces should be adequately ventilated to minimize unpleasant odours and reduce the concentration of airborne pathogens.
Outside the toilet area, schools should display signs that emphasize the importance of proper handwashing and hygiene measures. This is also a way to educate young children to reduce the risk of disease transmission in the toilet as well as in the community.