Hand to mouth

"Most people die around here because they don't wash their hands".

These were the striking words of a fellow volunteer working in the same village as me. They got me thinking.

Locals don't have the luxury of a 'western' toilet. They have to squat over a pit. Most cannot afford toilet paper so they use leaves. This in itself does not cause an issue as people did this for millions of years before the white porcelain bowl and the sewerage system came along. The fault line lies at the action (or rather inaction) after using the toilet and that is failing / forgetting to wash hands. If a person does not wash their hands, bacteria stays on them. As the Kom people are very tactile and greet each regularly using their hands, this bacteria is quickly passed on. During the preparation and cooking of meals, the bacteria is passed to the food and pretty quickly after it enters the mouth and digestive system. There is a poster up in the volunteer house designed by an ex volunteer which shows a pictorial version of this.

The Kom ladies sell homemade snacks on the side of the road. Most are variations on dough or vegetables in batter. They are kept in plastic bins and they are cheap and tasty. But every time I eat them, I do so with a little trepidation.