Is there a risk of sexually transmitted diseases using public toilets?
Toilets are home to many types of bacteria. With home toilets, we can use hygienic measures to disinfect them. However, toilets in public toilets are often not cleaned and contain many risks of disease transmission. This makes many people worried, especially because they think that using public toilets is easy to get sexually transmitted diseases.
In this regard, Ths.BS Phan Chi Thanh – Chief of the Office of the Training Center, National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, said that most sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea… are the main routes of transmission. is through direct contact between the genitals and genital secretions such as semen and vaginal secretions during sexual activity.
Therefore, skin-to-skin contact in public restrooms does not increase the risk of these diseases. To get sexually transmitted diseases, bacteria and viruses will have to be transmitted directly from the toilet seat to the genital tract or through an open wound or scratch.
“Therefore, rumors such as sexually transmitted diseases or unintended pregnancy due to using public swimming pools or public toilets are unreasonable”, Ths.BS Thanh affirmed.
However, genital warts caused by the HPV virus are an exception. In addition to the usual cause of transmission through sexual contact, there is now much medical evidence that the HPV virus can be transmitted by mere skin contact.
Ths.BS Analysis, HPV virus can survive for many days in the interstitial fingers, fingernails, or other public contact surfaces. The HPV virus can be transmitted by contact, for example, through the skin of hands, feet, and toilet doorknobs. Thus, although very rare, but the genital warts virus can be transmitted through contact when going to the toilet without washing hands, through toilets, door handles… In theory, these are cases of contact with germs. disease when the skin and mucous membranes are scratched.
On the other hand, in sexual intercourse, even with the application of safe sex methods such as condoms, it is still not guaranteed to completely prevent HPV infection. Because condoms only cover the penis. Men can still have genital warts at other locations.
“Therefore, other non-sexual contact such as hand-to-mouth sex also carries a potential risk of HPV transmission. In practice, we still see young people with genital warts in the larynx and throat due to HPV transmission through oral activities”, the doctor informed.
The HPV virus can be passed on to others even if the infected person has no signs or symptoms. Most HPV infections go away on their own. Cases that do not go away on their own will cause a number of health problems such as genital warts, warts on the skin. Some cases can cause cervical cancer in women and penile cancer in men.
According to doctors, to limit the risk of HPV infection, HPV vaccination is the safest and most effective prevention measure, HPV vaccine can be vaccinated for both men and women. Vaccination is most effective when young people are not sexually active. Because vaccination after sexual intercourse, the effectiveness of the vaccine is significantly reduced.
The ideal age for vaccination is children between the ages of 9 and 16. At that time, only 2 doses of the vaccine are given 6 months apart for maximum immunity. Young people from 16-26 years old will need 3 injections corresponding to the time of 1st dose, 2nd dose after 2 months and 3rd dose repeated after 6 months. After the age of 26, who have not had sex, the vaccine can still be considered.
“Despite vaccination, it is still very important to live a safe sex life, be faithful, and use protective measures such as condoms. Being faithful to one partner, monogamous also helps limit the risk of HPV transmission, “the doctor recommended.
In addition, regular screening for sexually transmitted diseases is extremely important for early detection and treatment.
This expert also emphasized, early medical examination, early treatment will have the opportunity to completely recover from the disease. On the contrary, it is too late to wait until there are symptoms of the disease to go to the doctor because the disease can cause serious consequences such as blocked fallopian tubes, inflammation around the liver, inflammation spreading to the whole abdomen…
“The three pillars of safe sex include, first, you must have good knowledge, second, you practice safe sex (use protection measures, know how to say no when your partner asks to practice). unsafe sexual behavior). Third, you should go to the doctor for regular screening to detect the disease early,” the doctor added.
Ngoc Trang
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vietnamnet.vn – Read the original article here
