People's Daily health client reporter Tan Qixin
According to the press conference on epidemic prevention and control in Beijing on May 4, since April 22, a new round of local epidemics in Aumechjong found in Beijing has reported a total of 505 cases of infection. Among them, nearly 40 cases of infection were caused by the transmission chain of public toilets, and the risk point information released by Fangshan District involved the public toilets on the west side of the village committee of Wayaotou Village on April 21.
On the afternoon of May 4, the press conference on the prevention and control of the new crown pneumonia epidemic in Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, also showed that the infection chain of the public toilet on Machewang Road in Tiantai County, Taizhou has caused many people to be infected with new crown pneumonia, and the risk of infection in the public toilet of Machewang Road is high.
Public toilets provide great convenience for the public, why are they suddenly becoming a new way of spreading the new crown virus?
Liu Jue, a researcher at the School of Public Health of Peking University and a member of the National New Coronavirus Pneumonia Expert Group of the National Health Commission, explained to the People's Daily Health Client reporter that compared with other respiratory viruses, the transmission routes of the new coronavirus are diverse, and the transmission routes are relatively easy to achieve. From the perspective of the transmission route of the virus, the new crown virus is mainly transmitted through the respiratory tract and close contact, and is transmitted by aerosol in a relatively closed environment, and can also cause infection after contact with items contaminated with the virus. If personal protective measures such as wearing masks and hand hygiene are not implemented in place, there is a risk of infection.
In a review of studies compiled by the National Institutes of Health in January 2022, international scholars reviewed the results of global environmental sampling, laboratory and epidemiological studies on the spread of viral and bacterial infections in public toilets, and included 38 studies in 13 countries that found that unclothed toilet lids for flushing, ineffective handwashing, and substandard or infrequent facility surface cleaning may lead to bacterial/viral contamination of public toilets, and the study also recommended enhanced hand hygiene, public toilet sanitize, Measures such as ventilation can effectively reduce the risk of spread of infectious diseases.
"In addition, from the perspective of the spread of the virus, compared with the original strain of the new crown virus and other mutants, the transmigranity of the Omikerong mutant strain is stronger, the basic regeneration number R0 (in the absence of any prevention and control measures, the average person can spread to several people) is as high as 9.5, and the basic regeneration number of the original strain is 2-2.5." Liu Jue told reporters.
How to prevent the risk of transmission of public toilets? The Beijing Municipal Urban Management Commission said that Beijing will increase the frequency of disinfection of public toilets, and increase the disinfection of public toilets in crowded places such as railway stations and markets; toilets within the sealing and control area should be disinfected and sterilized by one person and one person, and more than two people (included) cannot go to the toilet at the same time; the original "Beijing Municipal Public Toilet Disinfection Management Guidelines" have been improved, and all districts and operating units have been guided to do a good job in public toilet epidemic prevention sanitize and public toilet cleaning personnel protection.
At the same time, the disease control in Beijing, Taizhou, Zhejiang, Wuhan, Hubei and other places has issued emergency reminders, suggesting that citizens should also adhere to scientific wearing masks and pay attention to hand hygiene when going to public toilets; wash their hands with hand sanitizer and water after going to the toilet, or use hand disinfectant to disinfect their hands. Until then, do not touch your mouth, eyes, or nose with your hands. If you have used your mobile phone during the toilet, it is recommended to use alcohol pads to disinfect your mobile phone in time.
