Management of human excreta - a basic necessity in disease prevention - Technologist

Mr. Sampson Asare Boadu, Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Public Health Technologist in-charge of Ashiedu Keteke District, has advised private operators of toilets to hygienically manage human excreta, which is necessary in the prevention of diseases.

He told them to place maximum priority in the handling of household toilets, observance of bye-laws and building regulations regarding so as to promote effective control over environmental contamination.

Mr. Boadu gave the advice at a day’s sensitization workshop for the private toilets operators and residents at Agbogloshie in the Greater Accra Region at the weekend.

He took the participants through maintenance of high standard of hygiene, environmental sanitation, faecal borne diseases, especially cholera and the roles of the authorities, operators and the general public to control and prevent such diseases.

“Operators of modern and approved types of toilet facilities be it household or public,” must understand the laid down regulations and laws concerning excreta management within the communities in order to prevent the spread of diseases, Mr. Boadu explained.

Mr. Jonas Amanu, Greater Accra Regional Environmental Health Officer of the Regional Coordinating Council, organizers of the programme told the Ghana News Agency that the Accra Metropolitan Assemble was confronted with a huge sanitation problem because a large number of residents lacked a sense of cleanliness.

“The problem is compounded daily through open and indiscriminate defecating, littering on the streets, into gutters and water bodies leading to environmental pollution,” he stressed.

Mr. Amanu said: “hygiene education is about helping people to understand what causes some of their health problems and what preventive measures could be possible,” and added that “it needs to be approached in a very sensitive way with a great deal of respect being shown to local beliefs and practices.”

The Regional Environmental Health Officer expressed appreciation to the participants at the workshop and promised to intensify the campaign on the maintenance of high standards of environmental hygiene and sanitation.

Mr. Henry Adipah, Principal of the School of Hygiene at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, urged the participants to cooperate with all monitors of the Assembly by giving them unimpeded access to the facilities for inspection. He told them to maintain their facilities in accordance with the guidelines and bye-laws of the Assembly.**