Doctor Warns H. pylori Spreads Silently, Offers 5 Prevention Tips

Dr. Jetsada Bunyavongsirorj, Deputy Director of Primary Care at Maha Rajah Hospital Nakhon Ratchasima, posted on Facebook as "Dr. Jetsada" to educate the public about H. pylori infection, emphasizing that it spreads silently with five prevention strategies before stomach damage occurs.

The doctor shared that he himself tested positive for H. pylori and could not pinpoint when or how he contracted it. This is precisely what makes the bacterium so dangerous—it can live in the stomach for years without causing symptoms. However, it may silently cause inflammation, ulcers, or even increase the risk of stomach cancer over time.

Prevention is not 100 percent possible since transmission routes are not entirely clear in all cases, but the infection is believed to spread through saliva, vomit, feces, and contaminated food or water. Rather than creating paranoia, the doctor encourages reducing behaviors that make transmission easier.

The five prevention methods are:

1. **Share dishes but use separate utensils**: Family dining is fine, but never reuse a spoon that has entered your mouth to take from a shared dish. If one family member carries H. pylori unknowingly, shared spoons, dipping sauces, and drinking cups can facilitate transmission.

2. **Do not pre-chew food for children**: While some adults do this out of care—testing hot food first or softening food—saliva transfers with it. H. pylori often infects children and may persist for decades undetected. Instead, let hot food cool naturally, or cut food into age-appropriate sizes.

3. **Wash hands properly after using the bathroom**: Many people only wet their hands briefly rather than truly washing them. Bacteria from feces or vomit can transfer to food, utensils, or other people if hands are not thoroughly cleaned. Use soap and scrub all areas—palms, backs of hands, between fingers, and fingertips—especially after bathroom use, changing diapers, or cleaning vomit.

4. **Be selective about ice, fresh vegetables, and food with uncertain water sources**: While not every street food causes infection, restaurants using unclean water, unknown ice sources, or vegetables washed hastily increase contamination risk. Choose freshly cooked foods, clean drinking water, well-washed produce, and establishments with good hygiene practices, particularly when traveling to areas with questionable water systems.

5. **If a family member tests positive, don't assume it's only their problem**: A husband's positive result may explain a wife's months of indigestion she attributed to coffee. A parent's history of ulcers may connect to a child's chronic bloating. Family members should consider testing rather than attributing symptoms to other causes.