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Is there a risk of contracting a disease in a public restroom?
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
A public toilet is far from the cleanest place, even if it is a paid establishment with regular cleaning. However, there are situations when we are forced to use the services of public toilets - and then the question arises: how safe is it? Are there ways to reduce the risk of contracting diseases when visiting these establishments?
Experts decided to thoroughly understand this issue, which they reported in detail in the well-known publication The Daily Mail.
Experts note that a person who rarely visits public restrooms may want to leave as soon as possible. This can lead to the bladder not being completely emptied - as a result, cystitis can develop. It is also not a fact that all the windows in the toilet will not be open - and we all know what drafts can lead to.
Among other things, the opinion is widely popularized that such a public institution can become a carrier of all sorts of sexually transmitted diseases - for example, you can "catch" chlamydia, gonococcus, pale treponema there. Experts assure: there is no need to worry, since such serious pathogens of infectious diseases have practically no chance of penetrating your body in a public toilet. For this to happen, pathogenic microorganisms must directly hit the genitals from the walls of the toilet, or open damage to the skin on the limbs, or on the buttocks. Experts note: the chances of a person being struck by lightning are higher than the chances of contracting a sexually transmitted infection in a toilet.
The worst that can happen is that you will get dirty and feel uncomfortable. But you will not get infected – this is unlikely. For example, HIV is transmitted only through blood or during sex – but not through urine. Chlamydia and papillomavirus “lie” deep in the genitals, so it is also impossible for them to get into the toilet. Herpesvirus “lives” in the middle of the cell, and quickly dies outside of it. Treponema pallidum and pubic lice are also transmitted from person to person mainly through sexual intercourse. In addition, lice are unable to move along the smooth walls of the toilet – they simply do not know how to do this.
- However, doctors offer a number of simple rules, the implementation of which will allow you to protect yourself from the adverse effects of visiting a public restroom:
- Washing your hands after using the toilet is mandatory, regardless of whether it is a public or private place.
- For additional safety, you can wash your hands using special antibacterial soap.
- In public restrooms, you must use special toilet seat covers, and if you don’t have them, then use antimicrobial or regular wipes.
- It is not advisable to stay in the toilet room for a long time, or to touch the walls with your hands, and especially the floor - this is the dirtiest place you can imagine.
Fortunately, medicine has no cases of infection of any diseases in a public toilet. However, compliance with hygiene rules cannot be ignored - it is very important, both for your health and for the health of your loved ones, - reports The Daily Mail.
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