Omkring halvdelen af befolkningen i Papua Ny Guinea bruger naturen som toilet. Det kan have store sundhedsmæssige konsekvenser, fordi der giver sygdomme som diarre, kolera og tyfus gode muligheder for at sprede sig.
GOROKA, 10 February 2014 (IRIN): When Willie Savo needs to relieve himself, there’s only one place to go. “Near the mango tree,” the five-year-old said outside his family’s village home. “Where else am I supposed to go?”
That’s a good question in Papua New Guinea (PNG), where more than half of the 7.5 million people practice open defecation, and awareness of the health risks remains low.
“The issue of open defecation is a huge problem in PNG, with limited numbers of households across the country having access to toilets,” Louise Ewington, country director for Oxfam in Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, told IRIN.
“Low levels of formal education (particularly in rural areas) and a lack of awareness regarding the public health implications of open defecation, exacerbate the problems associated with it.”
Government figures indicate that up to 18 percent of the rural population and 5 percent of the urban population have no access to a hygienic toilet. Others, like Lilian Siwi, head of health in Eastern Highlands Province, estimate the real gap is much wider.
“Ninety-five percent of villages in our area don’t have toilets. As a result, open defecation remains high,” she said.
Health impact
Whatever the actual figure, the health implications are undeniable. International health experts say the safe disposal of excreta and hygienic behaviour play a key role in mitigating the risk of diarrhoea and other diseases, including cholera, dysentery, hepatitis, typhoid, polio, trachoma and respiratory infections, as well as intestinal parasites like giardia, and worms.
Of particular concern is open defecation near rivers or other water sources, because more than 60 percent of Papuan New Guineans obtain the water they use for drinking and other household purposes directly from a natural source.
Over 900 children die every year from diarrhoea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation, according to Water Aid , an international NGO, making it a leading cause of death among children under the age of five.
Diarrhoea is one of the leading reasons for both inpatient and outpatient visits to health facilities, the government reported as part of the requirements in the National Health Plan 2011-2020 .
“The [cholera] emergency… in 2009 – [a disease] not seen in the country in 50 years – is indicative of the risks that exist when safe water and sanitation are not available, and basic hygiene such as hand-washing is neglected,” the plan noted.
Historical context
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