Before you go all crazy, blaming the poor quality of municipal water as the cause of your recent episode of the runs, you can rest assured that the water quality is not at fault.

Rather, you are.

You see, while Capetonians have been encouraged to act sparingly, keeping that 50 litre-a-day ration for the most unexpected, or most important, events, washing your hands should still be a priority.

According to a cute and colourful infographic seen below, the City has advised residents to allocate only two litres out of the 50 for hand washing and teeth brushing.

But get this, two litres is “roughly one-eighth the amount of water than most people consume each time they wash their hands and face,” explains Quartz.

Because, well, washing your hands is super important.

Walk into almost any store now (or head online) and you’ll find waterless hand sanitiser on sale. Don’t skimp on this – you’re out there carting five-litre bottles to your car like there’s no tomorrow, but you’re skimping on a product that’s going to stop you pissing through your behind?

Even if it hasn’t affected you directly, you might have noticed a spike in diarrhoea at the moment. Facebook is full of personal accounts, many blaming the decline in quality of tap water, because “the dams have dropped so low.” But that’s not the reason, so hold off on the blame game.

Rather, every year Cape Town experiences a seasonal spike in diarrhoea from February through April, when warmer weather encourages the spread of germs.

And, if you don’t wash your hands, you’re at risk.

But, diarrhoea isn’t the only disease to watch out for:

The Western Cape province also is battling the second-highest incidence of listeriosis in South Africa, which is suffering from the largest outbreak of the disease on record. At least 820 people have been infected and 82 have died since the start of last year, according to data from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases.

And, because knowledge is power, here’s what you need to know:

Listeriosis, which particularly threatens newborns, can spread through inadequate hand-washing and a failure to rinse fruits, vegetables and other raw foods thoroughly.

Officials warn that such water-borne borne illnesses as cholera, hepatitis A and typhoid fever “likely will become more prevalent” as locals take to storing water in contaminated containers.

This all goes back to practicing mindful water-saving habits; use your rationed water for what’s necessary, please.

If these conditions persist throughout winter, other diseases might also be more likely to be transmitted:

If the drought in Cape Town persists into South Africa’s winter months (June to August), the city also could see “increased transmission” of respiratory viruses and other infections “that can be transmitted by skin contact,” says Marc Mendelson, a professor of medicine and head of infectious diseases at the University of Cape Town.

Such projections remain conjecture, he adds, as the city has yet to experience an uptick in diarrhoea among infants compared with prior years.

So remember: wash your hands properly (which you can do with a waterless hand sanitiser), and make sure your fruit and veggies have a good rinse, too.

Then we should be good.

[source:quartz]