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The Deputy Director, Niger Ministry of Health, Hajiya Rakiya Datti,
has said that over 80 per cent of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea,
polio and Ebola are contacted through open defecation.
*Once upon a time: Open defecation in Bauchi Datti made the disclosure
in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Minna.
She said children who were vulnerable die daily from the outbreak of
cholera, diarrhoea, polio and Ebola, which were transmitted through
water and air.
She added that if open defecation was not curbed, there would be
continuous spread of diseases.
She stressed that "as long as open defecation is not put to an end,
the society will be diseased, as there will be infection and
re-infection even when government puts more efforts to curtail it.''
The deputy director added that promotional campaigns and programmes
would serve as key to an end to open defecation but creating toilets
should be the primary concern of every house builder.
She said "it is the responsibility of the Urban Development Board to
ensure that toilets are incorporated in the master plan before any
building can take place.
Datti, however, urged the Federal Government and state governments to
provide adequate facilities in public places for easy access so as to
reduce open defecation in the country.
She also urged private ventures to go into the business of building
public toilets that would be monitored by states' environmental
sanitation officials to ensure that they were hygienic and safe for
use.
She said "the Build, Operate and Own (BOO) toilet is a source of
income to individuals, the government should emphasis on this theory
so as to bring about development.
"Environmental health officers, sanitary officers should also have a
role to play in the BOO.
"Officers should go to communities to enlighten the people on the
dangers of open defecation.
"There should also be law enforcement with appropriate sanction at the
federal and state level on open defecation to ensure people adhere to
it.
Credit: vanguard
