Australia’s toilet paper stocks are being wiped out by people stockpiling ahead of feared widespread COVID-19 outbreaks.

This has led to more than a few cheeky comments, with the hoarders being the butt of the jokes given the inference that they believe toilet paper is a higher priority than foodstuffs in the event of a pandemic.

Perhaps it’s time to flush out the clinical facts that suggest that the hoarders’ instincts may be correct?

It is true that WHO’s recent international mission to China has calculated that, based on nearly 56,000 laboratory-confirmed cases, diarrhoea has been a symptom in 3.8% of them.