One of the most prevalent ways for germs to spread is through your hands. If you touch a surface that has a bacteria or virus on it and then you shake hands with someone, you face the risk of spreading the disease. If you touch your hands to your mouth or nose, you face the risk of getting the illness. The same goes with not washing hands after toilet use. If you don’t, you can transfer any germs or parasites, either in your system or left in the bathroom by someone else, to other people you encounter. If you do wash your hands with soap and water after using the bathroom, you greatly reduce your chances of spreading or contracting an illness that was left behind.

What Happens If You Don’t Wash Hands after Toilet?

1.     Coxsackie Virus/Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease

The coxsackie virus causes hand-foot-mouth disease. The virus, which causes blisters on your hands and feet, as well as in your mouth, is contracted by eating foods or liquids that have been contaminated by fecal matter. Because it is a virus, medication and antibiotics cannot rid your system of the illness. Washing your hands reduces the chances of you getting it.

2.     Hepatitis A Exposure

Not washing hands after toilet use opens yourself up to the possibility of contracting hepatitis A. This illness is widely spread by the lack of hand washing and then the handling of food. Symptoms usually don’t show until three to four weeks after exposure. Signs include dark urine, fatigue, nausea, skin yellowing and vomiting. While these symptoms are common, you might not show any at all. Treatment requires detection within two weeks of infection for the vaccine to be most effective.

3.     Shigellosis Bacterial Infection

Shigellosis is most commonly spread by the lack of or inadequate hand washing after bathroom use. Symptoms of the illness include stomach cramping, loose or watery stools, and fever. If shigellosis worsens to dysentery, it may lead to blood, mucus and pus in your stools. While most of the time symptoms go away after a week, treatment with antibiotics is needed to make sure the illness is completely gone.

4.     Giardiasis Parasite

When you are not washing hands after toilet use, you risk contracting giardiasis. This illness is caused by parasites and can cause cramping, gas and diarrhea. Because it is transferred by hand fecal exposure or infected water, it is easily passed from one person to the next. The cure requires medication treatment with prescription medication. The only sure way to know if you have giardiasis is through a microscopic examination of your stool.

5.     Chance of Food Poisoning

Foodborne diseases are most commonly spread by insufficient hand washing and then the handling of food. While food poisoning can be caused by spoiled or undercooked food, it can also be transferred through fecal matter in food. Common symptoms include stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, sweating, bloating and headache. It is important to stay hydrated if you are affected by the ailment and drink plenty of fluids. This also helps flush it from your system.

6.     Possible Rhinovirus Illness

Rhinovirus is the most prevalent cause of the common cold, flu and upper respiratory infections. If you touch a surface that someone has sneezed on or shake hands with a person who coughed into their palm, you face a high chance of exposure to the virus. The same goes with you. If you don’t wash your hands after sneezing or coughing and then shake a friend’s hand, you are possibly passing a virus to them.

7.     Conjunctivitis/Pink Eye Infection

Not washing hands after toilet use increases your chances of getting pink eye, a very contagious eye infection. Also referred to as conjunctivitis, the symptoms of the condition include sore and red eyes, itchy eyes and pussy secretions around the eye area. You will need to go to the doctor for an antibiotic to clear up the infection. Meanwhile, you should have minimal contact with others until your doctor tells you that you are no longer contagious. While uncommon, untreated pink eye can cause serious eye issues and other health conditions.

8.     Monoucleosis Exposure

Monoucleosis, also known as mono or the kissing disease, is spread through urine and saliva contaminated with the Epstein-Barr virus. When you don’t wash your hands after using the bathroom, you increase your chances of getting a serious illness like mono. The symptoms include fatigue, fever, enlarged neck glands, and weakness.

9.     Antibiotic Resistance

Because the practice of hand washing is lacking, the spread of several illnesses is on the rise. This requires more antibiotic use and has created antibiotic resistant germs. This is making it harder to treat certain infections. If more people practiced regular hand washing, the chance of spreading these illnesses would dramatically decrease.

10.  Diarrhea Cause

According to research, if everyone washed their hands after toilet use, over 30 percent of cases involving diarrhea would be eliminated.