5. Book of Hygiene

• Emergency Protocol for Disease Outbreaks
• Chart of Contamination Risks
• Recommendations for Structural Changes (Long-Term Prevention)
• Biggest Risk Factors for Disease Spread at Gatherings
• Ressources
• How to prevent Shigella epidemics

Emergency Protocol for Disease Outbreaks

[IMPORTANT NOTE] This document was written in Spring 2025 and must be updated in the light of the Shigella epidemics happening in Radical Rest in August 2025, which showed how quick the epidemics spread.

One of the most important aspects to note is that so far the only really efficient way to contain a Shigella epidemics has been to very quickly end the gathering and close down the sanctuary for several days. So, in case of new cases of Shigella appearing on the land, we suggest to move quickly to that option, and focus the energy on making sure everybody has a safe plan to travel home.

For other kinds of less severe epidemics, other measures are still valid.

 

An outbreak is when 2 or more individuals report similar symptoms (like vomiting, diarrhea, fever, or stomach cramps) within a short timeframe (24–72 hours), especially if:

• The sick people haven’t shared a tent together
• The symptoms match a known infectious pattern (like norovirus or shigella),
• The cases appear to be spreading (new people getting sick),

Even if you're not 100% sure, it's better to act early than to wait.

If an outbreak occurs during a gathering, follow these immediate response measures:

1. Identify & Care for Sick Individuals

🚨 Recruit an urgent care team to monitor situation, coordinate care of sick faeries, liaise with facilitators, and make sure the gathering is familiar with hygiene protocols and good practices. 

🚨 Set up a "nursery tent" where sick people can recover with access to water and simple foods.

🚨 Encourage anyone with vomiting, diarrhea, or fever to self-isolate away from communal spaces.

🚨 Encourage hydration with electrolyte drinks or oral rehydration salts.

🚨 Monitor severely ill individuals for signs of dehydration or worsening symptoms.

🚨 If symptoms persist beyond 48 hours, consider seeking medical attention.
🚨 Create a tracking log of sick faeries, include all symptoms and the day/time of when they began 

2. Adjust Food & Water Handling

🚨 Stop all buffet-style serving—only designated, gloved servers should handle food.
🚨 Ensure only hot food (above 75°C/167°F) is served to kill bacteria, no salads!
🚨 Meal prep team should all be symptom free for 48 hours
🚨 Disinfect all jerrycans and dishwashing tubs immediately.
🚨 Boil or treat all drinking water if contamination is suspected.

3. Increase Hygiene & Sanitation

🚨 Mandatory handwashing enforcement before meals and after toilet use.

🚨Designate 1 or 2 toilets specifically for sick individuals with diarrhea or vomiting. Healthy faeries should only use the other toilets to prevent cross-contamination.

🚨Clean sick toilets more frequently, use extra sawdust, and ensure the lid stays closed to reduce fly attraction and replace shit tons more often.

🚨 Regularly disinfect high-contact surfaces (toilet seats, kitchen counters, door handles).

🚨 Use a separate laundry basket for sick individuals' linens to prevent contamination.

🚨 Wash contaminated bedding and clothing immediately using hot water (at least 60°C/140°F) when possible.

4. Address Fly Infestation if Worsening the Outbreak

🚨 Increase mosquito nets around food and use more fly traps.
🚨 Immediately remove and replace shit tons if they are attracting excessive flies.

5. Aftercare: after the outbreak and when faeries got back home

The main recommendation is to talk during the gathering about an aftercare plan. Actions taken could involve: 

• Making sure every faerie that was sick is in touch with somebody and not alone until they recover.
• Making sure every faerie can access medical care and if not, what’s needed for them to access such care, especially for faeries who wouldn’t be able to afford basic medication or basic tests. 
• Create a solidarity fund for extra costs or urgent costs that need to be done by faeries who can’t afford such costs. 
• Collecting results of medical analysis to keep monitoring the epidemic (see template)
• Creating a specific aftercare chat group, possibly including other faeries that were not at the gathering
• 
  

This should be done within the group of that gathering, with assistance from the steward circle and/or a call can be done to find specific support among the broader community. 

FOR THE STEWARDS : proposal to create an emergency health fund that can be activated when serious outbreaks happen and that faeries can make a request to, possibly with an individual limit (for example 50€ per person) for travel and/or basic medical costs. 

Chart of Contamination Risks

This is a document that was made by the health committee to help reduce contamination risks

Source/hazard	Risk practice (status quo)	Mitigation strategy	Interventions	Notes	Proposal decision
Where the contamination 'begins'; a physical place or object-subject.	Activity or practice that potentially spreads germs and virus	Approach that would reduce risk and exposure. Only one strategy per cell.	What could be done materially, socially, culturally to implement mitigation strategy. Can have multiple interventions per strategy.	Reflections, links, etc	Any purchases necessary?
Toilet block	Flies carry germs from shit to prepared food and to kitchen	Reduce number of flies around toilet block and make it harder for flies to go back and forth from toilets and kitchen	a) Keep toilet lids closed b) Use more sawdust to cover shit c) improve netting or enclosure where shit lands to reduce exposure to open air d) Big clear signange reminding fae to close lid and use lots of sawdust e) replace the shit tons when flies are getting too many f) hang up fly traps	About f) birds get caught in open-air fly traps and die. Either close off the cabins or avoid fly paper in toilets
Toilet block	Poor handwashing	Encourage better handwashing with new materials and communications	a) cute fae signs about handwashing w/ instructures around toilet block b) improved handwashing infrastructure: bigger or more sinks, improved water pressure c) provide hand sanitizer in addition to soap d) remove reusable hand towel (it's also a source of germs) e) install paper towel dispensers for single use	paper towels can be burned (but does this increase fire risk?); better to compost the paper towels?
Toilet block	Contaminated surfaces	Clean surfaces multiple times daily	a) keep a cleaning at toilet block at all times (bucket with cleaning supplies) b) poo faerie (and assistants?) wipe down surfaces at least X times daily	This may depend on how large the gathering is
Kitchen	Poor or infrequent handwashing: people don't wash their hands when they enter the kitchen; food prep team takes breaks and don't wash hands when they touch food again; 'visitors' come in to help for a couple minutes...	Everyone walking into and using the kitchen should wash hands and food prep team should wash hands frequently during cooking	a) remind food prep team to wash hands (the sun?) b) mount hand sanitizer at kitchen door c) make sure there is always handwashing soap at kitchen sink
Kitchen	Sick or recovering faeries on food prep teams	People who feel unwell or have been sick shouldn't help prepare or serve food during contagious period	a) create a guideline if you've had a fever, vomitted, or had diarhhea, then stay away from food prep for a full three days after your symptoms stopped b) if you feel unwell and you must use the kitchen or breakfast barn to prepare your own food, then wash your hands before you go in and make sure you place any utensils used in the dish bins
Kitchen	Contaminated surfaces	Prepare food on surfaces easier to clean and keep sterile	a) replace wooden tables with steel countertops b) replace wooden cutting boards with high quality plastic cutting boards c) keep spray bottle with disenfectant and clean towels handy to wipe down surfaces before use	Some small gatherings like to eat in the kitchen... maybe the steel countertops aren't nice for that	1) Buy steel countertops 2) Buy high quality plastic cutting boards
Kitchen	Contaminated surfaces stay dirty	Do a proper clean of the kitchen during dish dance	a) empower and celebrate raccoons b) give more clear directly to raccoons to CLEAN and steralize the kitchen c) provide rubber gloves and bucket with soapy water to raccoons for cleaning
Kitchen and Breakfast Barn	Flies carry germs from shit to prepared food and to kitchen	Prevent flies from landing on prepared food	a) keep prepared food protected from flies in the refridgerator or under a mesh/metal fly cover b) sticky fly trap paper in the kitchen and breakfast barn (replace when full)
Breakfast barn	poor handwashing	More frequent handwashing/sanitizing when entering/using breakfast barn	a) put in a sink for handwashing inside or outside of the breakfast barn b) put a couple hand sanitizer dispensers in/around the breakfast barn		1) Buy and install a sink in/outside the breakfast barn
Breakfast barn	Plates, mugs and cutlery collecting dust, germs and flies	Closed cupboards to put everything in	a) put a new cupboard in the breakfast barn where plates, cutlery and mugs are enclosed		1) Buy new cupboard for breakfast barn
Breakfast barn	White plastic jerrycans are not cleaned	Clean/disinfect the jerrycans regularly
Lunch and dinner services	poor handwashing --> sharing serving utensils	Limit the number of hands touching the commons elements on the serving tables and make sure those hands are clean	a) consider having food servers canteen style b) provide hand sanitizer bottle where people collect plates c) keep repeating wash your hands wash your hands!
Lunch and dinner services	food improperly covered and stored; and used as leftovers	Refridgeration and proper storage containers	a) buy refridgerator b) don't use cool room to store leftovers c) make sure to always have plastic wrap for food storage d) buy very large plastic storage containers with lids for left over food e) Use stickers to indicate the day the food was made. Don't use after more than 48h f) When in doubt, throw it out (especially dairy-based items and cooked grains)		1) Buy tupperware for leftovers 2) Buy stickers with day of the week
Lunch and dinner services	Contaminated food served	Always heat up food to at least 75°C	a) food thermostat in the kitchen b) clear signage that says to check the temperature		1) Buy food thermostat
Lunch and dinner services	Contaminated salad	Clean vegetables	a) clean vegies that are served raw thoroughly with clean hands		1) Buy food thermostat
Love Temple / Lounge	Contamination through dirty sheets	Clean sheets regularly	encourage faeries to replace the sheets regularly/after fucking
Post sex bodies	People have delicious dirty sex and then go around touching everything with their poopy cummy hands!	sexy shower and handwashing	integrate sex talk into the handwashing communication + hydroalcoholic gel pump in love lounge / temple
Drag room	Contaminated drag items	Drag items should be washed regularly
Bathtub	Bathing in untreated water	Heat the water to at least 60°C
Lake	potential source (unsure how likely) of ecoli and shigella and norovirus	Avoid getting water in mouth; don't go swimming if you're feeling unwell	Awareness and behavior change, especially during outbreaks

Recommendations for Structural Changes (Long-Term Prevention)

To reduce disease spread at future gatherings, consider implementing these structural changes:

1. Improve Hygiene Facilities & Handwashing Compliance

✅ Install more handwashing stations, including near the toilets, kitchen, and eating areas.
✅ Use foot-pump sinks or soap dispensers to make washing hands more convenient.
✅ Provide hand sanitizer at multiple locations for when soap and water aren’t available.

2. Strengthen Food Safety & Storage

✅ Store dishes and cutlery in closed cupboards in the Breakfast Barn to protect from flies and dust.
✅ Set up a server system where designated people serve food instead of self-serve buffets.
✅ Ensure raw vegetables are properly washed and prepared on clean surfaces with separate knives/cutting boards.
✅ Regularly sanitize the white plastic jerrycans (empty, rinse, and clean with diluted vinegar or bleach).

✅ Do not keep leftovers for more than 24 hours without refrigeration.

✅ Use tupperware and stickers with the day of the week for leftovers

✅ Avoid saving high-risk foods (e.g., dairy-based sauces, cooked grains, or anything left out for too long).

✅ Serving Leftovers Safely:

• Reheat leftovers to at least 75°C (167°F) before serving again.
• Do not serve lukewarm food, as it increases the risk of bacterial growth.
• When in doubt, throw it out—especially if food has been sitting at room temperature for too long.

3. Reduce Toilet-Related Contamination

✅ Increase toilet cleaning frequency, especially wiping down seats and handles with disinfectant.
✅ Always keep toilet lids closed after use to reduce fly attraction.
✅ Replace shit tons before they are completely full to reduce exposure to waste.
✅ Continue using sawdust generously to limit odors and flies.

4. Improve Bathing & Water Use

✅ Drain and clean the bathtub frequently with disinfectant before refilling.
✅ Consider heating the bathtub water to at least 60°C (140°F) before use, as this kills bacteria.

5. Reduce Flies & Insect Transmission

✅ Continue using mosquito nets around food areas in the Breakfast Barn.
✅ Set up fly traps or screens near food preparation areas.
✅ Maintain strict waste management, especially around food scraps and composting toilets.

 

Biggest Risk Factors for Disease Spread at Gatherings

1. Hand Hygiene Compliance

• Even though handwashing is emphasized, people may not always wash their hands properly or at all.
• Soap availability, water temperature, and convenience can affect compliance.
• Shared items like drag clothes, cooking utensils, and tools can become fomites (contaminated objects that spread disease).

2. Food and Water Contamination

• Dish Dance & Dishwashing Setup
  • The Dish Dance system helps reduce contamination, as the tubs are frequently replaced. However, standing water in tubs, even briefly, can still be a potential risk if not changed often enough.
• Cross-Contamination in Food Prep
  • Raw vegetables can become contaminated if they come into contact with unwashed hands, dirty cutting boards, or knives used on other foods without proper cleaning.
  • If someone with unclean hands touches a vegetable that is then served raw, bacteria or viruses can transfer to everyone eating it.
• Food Temperature & Serving Style
  • Serving food really hot (above 60°C/140°F) can kill bacteria, but it’s most important to prevent contamination after cooking rather than relying on heat alone.
  • Having designated servers fill plates instead of people serving themselves at a buffet could reduce the spread of germs, as fewer hands would touch serving utensils and food.
• Breakfast Barn Ventilation & Storage
  • The Breakfast Barn is well-ventilated, which is good for air circulation.
  • However, the open cupboards expose dishes and cutlery to flies and dust, increasing the risk of contamination.
  • The white plastic jerrycans with tap water are a potential hazard if they are not cleaned and refilled frequently. Stagnant water inside can become a breeding ground for bacteria if not emptied and sanitized regularly.

3. Shared Toilets and Waste Handling

• Ecotoilets require proper management—if people don’t use enough sawdust or if poop isn’t fully composted before use, pathogens can survive.
• Pee and poop handling (e.g., spreading urine on the land) may spread disease if not done hygienically.
• Flies and insects can transfer fecal bacteria to food and communal areas.
• Cleaning frequency: If toilets aren’t cleaned frequently enough (seats, handles, surrounding areas), lingering fecal bacteria can be picked up by people and spread further.
• Fly infestations in the past have worsened disease spread, especially around the toilets and the breakfast barn. Measures like using more sawdust, keeping toilet lids closed, replacing shit tons more often, and covering food with mosquito nets significantly reduced the problem.

4. Water Sources and Bathing Risks

• The UV-filtered well water is safe for drinking, and the mountain stream water for showers and dishwashing does not mix with your drinking water supply. However, bathing in untreated water can allow pathogens (like E. coli or Giardia) to persist.
• Bathtub Heating: Heating water to 40°C (104°F) does not kill bacteria or parasites—it is actually an ideal temperature for bacterial growth. The bathtub could become a source of Legionella or other waterborne infections if it is not drained and cleaned regularly.

5. High-Density Close Contact

• Shigella and norovirus spread through person-to-person contact, especially when people eat communally and hug/kiss/touch often.
• The Love Temple can be a vector if people don’t wash hands before/after, and bodily fluids can spread infections.
• Drag and costume sharing might indirectly spread pathogens through contaminated fabric.

Ressources

Health Agency links:

CDC on Norovirus: https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/prevention/index.html

NHS on Norovirus: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/norovirus/

Hand washing facts:

On water temperature, antibacterial soap, drying, and duration: https://healthcare-in-europe.com/en/news/hand-washing-in-hot-or-cold-water.html 

Water temp isn’t important: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3692566/ 

 

How to prevent Shigella epidemics

[Work in progress - 1st version produced by Fire - June 2026]

1. How to prevent the spreading of germs, illnesses and infections

These rules are many, are difficult, and they are not at all fun. As fairies we want to relax, and stop worrying for the duration of a gathering. But sadly the past years have taught us how dangerous infections can be in a gathering. It is not easy to change the way we collectively cook, handle food and touch each other, but the efforts are worth it, and hopefully in the future all these hygiene gestures become very usual and can be very efficient without requiring the effort they are still requiring now as we learn.

a. Kitchen rules

Noone enters the kitchen during cooking, except members of the kitchen team.

Wash your hands everytime you enter the kitchen, even if you went out for only 5 seconds

No nudity in the kitchen.

The fly panels on windows prevent flies from entering the kitchens. Keep them on, even if you don’t find them pretty. Flies carry germs and bacterias.

Do not sit on tables

Cooked meals are safer (more details to add here from FOLLE)

If you are serving raw food, make sure it has been properly washed with clean water, prepared by fairies with clean hands, cut with clean knives on clean cutting boards.

b. breakfast barn rules

Make sure your hands are clean before you touch any food or cutlery

Close all food boxes, immediately after using.

Never share a knife or spoon that you used to take some jam/cheese/whatever. Use it, then put it in the dirty

c. Toilets

to be completed

d. Some little things can allow an infection to spread from one fairy to the whole gathering :

Setting the table, bringing plates for everyone is helpful and generous, but if done with unclean hands can contaminate the whole gathering.

We use servers for every meal. It takes only one impatient fairy touching the serving spoon can contaminate the whole pot and thus the whole gathering.

Door handles are touched by everyone. Touching a door handle is like touching dozens of fairies at the same time. This is why whenever you exit the kitchen and enter again, even if it seems like nothing, you have to wash your hands again.

Washing your hands, and then closing the tap which you opened with your dirty hands. Ways around this problem : tap activated by foot pedals have been installed around the sanctuary. Or you can wash the tap at the same time as your hands. Or you can close it using a cloth or paper towel. Or…

Drying your hands on a cloth after washing them can make your hands just as dirty as they were before washing. Dry your hands with either a clean cloth or paper towels, or even better : just shake them fast to let them air dry.

e. Collective responsibility

• Deities/Roles are very useful to make sure a collective concern is not overlooked. In the past, there has been such deities as :

— Dragonfly : the dragonfly makes sure the safety rules are followed during the gathering, and reminds fairies of good behaviour related to hygiene during the practical circles.

— Head Nurse : the head nurse fairy is a nurse, a doctor, or an untrained fairy who wants to take on the responsibility of tracking signs of infections, making sure ill fairies are taken care of, and also making sure that infections do not spread.

• Having a functioning immune system is a privilege. Your immune system protects you, and noone else. In a gathering, hygiene is a collective effort, and all gestures done to prevent the spreading of germs are an act of collective care. Be mindful when you’re in a gathering :

— You can be a carrier of dangerous germs even if you have no symptoms,

— Some germs are not dangerous to you, but could be deadly to others,

f. Illnesses, shame, fear, and communication

« This gathering is just starting, and it’s so fun and magical, promising many loving moments. I just don’t have the heart to ruin it with a bad news. I won’t tell anyone I have diarrhea. »

If you are ill, don’t keep it to yourself. Diarrhea and a slight fever may not be much to you, but if this information is not shared, it could allow the infection to spread.

I you are ill, let other fairies know, and refrain from entering the kitchen and breakfast barn. Ask other fairies to bring you plates, cutlery, food, to make breakfast for you.