Resolved question:
Hi, thank you so much for reading. So today I was urinating in a public toilet bowl when my urine stream hit a brownish-yellow stain/skid mark of someone else's feces. The problem is, some of my urine splattered after hitting the stain and got on my shorts and t shirt. After I was done, I had to quickly run out because I had class. Now I am going to wash my clothes properly, so I hope they won't be a problem, but I am wondering if all the things I touched (my books, notepads, computers, mobile phone, bag) etcetera are contaminated. I cannot think of a way to decontaminate all of them and get rid of any germs that would have gotten from my splashed-on clothes to my belongings either through my hands or through direct contact with my clothes. Is this a valid cause of concern or can diseases not be spread this way?
Also, I'm not afraid of catching a disease myself. I have a fairly decent immune system. But I'm afraid that I may spread the disease to immunocompromised people through my belongings. For instance, I am playing a show at a place for really sick children in some days. Many of them may be immunocompromised. I really don't want to harm them by being a vector of germs from that feces stain! Is this a valid concern for this particular situation?
Thank you very much for your help.
PS: I would like this to not be posted on the website. Thank you!
Submitted:
4 Days
Category:
Family Physician-GP
Hello.
Thank you for your query at DoctorSpring.com.
I understand your concern and please be rest assured that your query will not be made public.
As long as the urine did not splash on your hands and you had washed them after, it is unlikely that the germs would have spread to your possessions.
As for the germs from your clothes, it is unlikely for them to transfer to your other possessions.
Even if they did, you can get them off easily. You need to thoroughly wash your clothes. As for the other objects like books, notepads, computers etc., you can clean them any suitable cleaning agent. As all of them have anti-septic properties, this will get rid of the germs.
You do not have to worry about germs from this particular incident as germs on inanimate objects do not survive for long, not for more than a couple of days.
However, your concern for the children is appreciable. There is no extra risk from this incident and most of our personal possessions are always full of germs but this seldom leads to disease. If the children are significantly immunocompromised, they will be shielded and protected from unwanted exposures and the ones who attending performances will be those who have a functioning immune system. So, please do not worry in this regard.
The only thing you need to do is maintain good personal hygiene and regular hand washing. This is best preventative measure against getting or transferring infections.
I hope this was helpful. Let me know if you have any other queries.
Thank you.