80% of diseases suffered by Nigerians due to open defecation, says official

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.

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.’’ (NAN)

Depiction  of Open defecation in Bauchi picture