Hi, room my neighbour used to say one can contract disease in toilets. She had the habit of using plastic container any time she use the toilet even though the toilet is clean.

Recently, a lady was on a visit and also insist on using plastic bowl to stool. I found this habit disgusting and I didn't hide my feeling. However, I noticed the practice is not un usual as I had observed ladies doing this.

Recently, one of the ladies complain of stomach upset and visit a doctor who gave her drugs. Upon enquiry from her, she said her ailment, which requires her to apply some cream in her private part is caused by exposure to toilet.

Is it really true that one can contract germs from toilet?

What type of risk are associated?

What should be done as preventive measure?
Can men also got infected? Either by contact or other means ? Thanks.

mean its true.one can easily contact candidiasis and other toilet infections .

It is real. I have had it in mind to write a comprehensive right up on that subject but work has been to much.
Women especially because of the open nature of their Vagina are prone to toilet infections. Some sexually Transmitted infections can also be gotten from toilets if previously used by someone with an STI.
So ladies be very careful and clean. Toilet infections can be painful and embarrasing, Make sure you keep your toilet clean or use a tisue to wipe the toilet seat before using and drop some tissue inside the toilet to reduce the incidence of infection.
However , God willing i will write a Post on that subject

i think it is true. there are some infections you can get from toilet seat.

my experience:

1st year undergraduate at UI. first day after unpacking i felt like using the bathroom. i went in there and saw those women were done with cleaning. everywhere looked neat and so clean. i entered and sat on it. not too long i was sooooooooooooooo itchy. it was so crazy i was like what!!! mogbe!!!! so i spoke with my roommate a 2nd year student. she said ah! no, you shouldn't seat on it oh! lol well i went to Jaja (lol) can't remember what i was given. i felt better and learnt a lesson.

here they have something inside the toilet that you can use to place on the seat before seating which is really good. i hope they have that in Nigeria too.

I am honestly suprised to hear this. By the way does it affect men? How? Can a husband contract it from wife?

?

Believe me i would not pray 4 even an enemy to contact it.The embarrasmt is beta imagined cos it disturbs at the most UNEXPECTED PLACES.Anti fungal creams and insert ;Ders do the magic though but prevention is beta than cure.

Thank you. Sharing is believing. While pursuing my curiosity beyond nairaland, I met a lady who get the THING after I posted the thread. From her look I know how embarrased she was. I assured her I understand everythings. I think the next thing is how do we prevent people dropping fungi in our toilet? You know Lagoswise. People would just go on visiting and use your toilet. You never can tell when somebody is a host to the germs. It may also happen that innocent visitor may pick it up?

1, the host, how do we prevent it. I can see it is not enough to have a 'clean' toilet.
2, for the visitor, if you are infested what should be done to safeguard other people health when you visit their loo.
3, for visitor that are clean, what should you do if you suspect a toilet and you need to use the toilet?

get toilet cleaner 409, lysol etc and clean up after your host/visitor is gone. nothing wrong, it's your place. some may not know they are infected as such mistakenly spread it.
when you visit others, make sure you spread tissue on the seat before using. even though my friends are neat freak, i still put tissues on the top of the seat before using their toilet to be on the protective side.

finally, make sure you wash your hand before you leave that toilet room 

Thanks. Still one observation. I hope men would continue to be free from the disease. I am mistaken?

HI,

CANDIDIASIS IS REAL!
I KNOW A LADY WHO CONTACTED AND DID NOT TREAT IT WELL N 2 DAY, SHE CANT HAVE A CHILD
BUT D QUESTION IS :WHAT IS D BEST DRUGS 4 THIS PLS?

Does it also affect child bearing? Wao, just from the toilet! We need more education on this topic. It seem there is more to know.

Does it also affect child bearing? Wao, just from the toilet! We need more education on this topic. It seem there is more to know.

Yes it could affect fertility if left untreated, and treatment should be done after a lab test to know the actual type of infection. Most of us just go to a chemist and get some drugs and when the syptoms are healed we think the infection is cleared not knowing that it is just supressed.
As much as possible we should try to get tested for any infection that concerns our sexual and reproductive organs, it saves us a lot of problems later

Actually. . .I was actually watching a story and it said that you can't contract diseases from toilets, unless you use it RIGHT after someone else. This is because the bacteria on the toilet seat can't last that long outside of a moist environment, so by the time that you sit there, they will be dead. I think crabs are the only thing that can survive for sometime after someone has last sat down.

All of that being said. . .I still don't care and I will never sit down on a public toilet. And if I absolutely have to, I will do so with a lot of toilet paper covering the seats first. Can never take enough precautions

yes you are so correct. same with me, nice though there are always toilet paper for your toilet seat. most public toilet now have seat paper for you to use. in nigeria, i guess you should always carry your own toilet paper in your handbag. be on the safe side.

It seem this is a serious issue we more often overlook. I understand that toilet seat can be suspect, especially public toilets. What should we say of the Lagos style pit laterine where you just stoop on it? We mustn't pretend that every Lagos, indeed Nigerian homes have the wherewithal to maintain toilets facilities. There is need to examine this too. Aisha, Omoge, et al what have you got to say?

Aisha, could tell me if men are vulnerable to these disease? What sign should we look out for before concluding it is toilet wahala?

The male sexual organ is not as open as that of the female, Men can contact it but chances are low compared top the risk of a woman contacting it. However mne can get infected by having sex with an Infected partner.
Syptoms are similar to that of STIs such as : Painful urination, Smelly and coloureddiscahrge and so on, infact most infections yu get from toilets are STIs (except HIV , it cannot be contactted from toilet because it lives in the blood) too which are dropped from an infected person after using the toilet especially the toilet seat

You reply is a goodnews for guys. But also a bad news for husbands and flirting guys. I wish we could use antibiotics regularly to at least safeguard from accidental infection. Is that a wise option, Aisha2? What antibiotic is okay for preventive measure, if any?

I just wonder, sometimes that those tiny microbes does humanity more harms than nuclear bombs. It is interesting.

yes a bad news for flirty husband and young guys who are promiscuous. no accidental infection for guys unless the guy is flirty and bang all over the place. using antibiotics isn't always the ans. you can't just start using antibiotic just like that because you want to curb a disease or take a preventive measure. just stay hygienic, no sleeping around, wash your hands with soap after using the toilet etc.

for ladies, we just need to be hygienic too. make sure we cover the toilet seat before using.

those pit latrine

What about them, Omoge?

do you like bending down? won't you love to sit and chill out with Tribune, Time, Ebony or Newsweek while off loading?

Ummm? That is the prevailing practice in Naija, you know?

the toilet disease thing is a real embarrassment and from the much i've read and experienced about it, all these over the counter drugs worsen matters for the patient as they result in what is called reccurent yeast infection. the cause is actually due to overgrowth of bacteria in the vagina especially, pls note that the yeast infection could be on the skin, penis and in the mouth also, it is attacks in moist parts of the body.

for more gist on yeast infection and prevention/cure, mail me at jirehservices@gmail.com

How do one recognize yeast infection on the skin and penis? Seem too much attention is focused on HIV/AIDS while small disease like these go on without notice. I wonder how many innocent people out there are carrying this. The trouble is virtually everyone that uses toilet is at risk, just as every couples risks a infection frow his or her partner. Why not give us more delail on this forum as Aisha2 had done? Surely, those reading would benefit.

i don't know if pple get yeast from toilet seat, mind you even your antibiotics can make you get yeast if used excessively.

what you guys should be really concerned abt is std which you usually get from hopping around beds and red lights.

But it is not everyone that jump from bed to bed. We have been told you can contract std from toilets.

Imaginary !!!

Having read most of the post on this thread at this time, I would like to say that the case of toilet veneral disease is more imaginary than real, it's simply over rated.

I say this based on percentage of new cases attributable to dirty toilet seats vs. the classic modes of transmission.
Oh yes, one could theoritically pick up a bug from a dirty environment(toilet seats included), but the number one cause of most of these diseases is definitely not from the toilet.

The number one cause, or the most common means of transmitting the bugs that cause sexually transmitted diseases remains sexual contact, followed by dirty and moist underwears, follwed by underlying medical conditions such diabetes mellitus or HIV.

Dirty toilet seats, while they could serve as a formite to spread diseases are rated very low on the list of likely causes. The exception to this may be if one has to use grossly soiled toilet seats, or one is institutionalized in an environment where every Dick and Harry is already walking around with an STD.

In addition to using clean toilets, folks should actually pay more attention to having safe sex, maintaining clean and dry underwears at all times.

Candida albicans love wet environment. With an optimal combination of a favorable vaginal PH, immune status alteration and wet underwear, most women will develope candidiasis, and sometimes even trichomonas vaginalis. We all know that Neisseria gonorhea is not transmitted via toilet seats----- remember the joke about the nurse who complained to the professor about picking up gonorheae from the toilet; the prof. replied" oh my dear, the toilet is not such a good place to have sexual intercourse"

Unless, you somehow managed to get vaginal fluid or semen with gonorhea in the toilet deep inside your vagina, you can't get gonorheae from the toilet, because the bug does not cut through an intact skin.

If you keep yourself clean and dry 'down there', your chances of picking up or developing any of these bugs will be reduced.

Don't blame the toilets seat in Lagos for every STD that could have been prevented by safe sex, good personal hygiene, and common sense.

@ Naijak,
Correct post You've said it all.

Thanks

Proper education is key eradicating most illnesses.

Naijaking please refresh your studies on public health. I know STIs are sometimes blamed on toilets as a means of infection but it will be quite ignorant to outrightly reject the existance of toilet infections.
Go and do more research please because we have had cases of infection even in Children.