Community Health Volunteer's Training Manual - Population Council

Disease Prevention and Environmental Sanitation
Topic 3 Environmental sanitation and hygiene
The environment may be defined as the condition that surrounds us which influences how
we behave, develop and survive. It includes our culture, the land, the laws, and the physical
facilities. Although all these affect our health, we shall focus on the physical environment
and how we should handle it. Poor liquid and solid waste disposal has been identified as an
important cause of diarrhea and food borne diseases. The liquid waste comes from urine and
waste water from our kitchens and bathrooms, whilst solid waste comes from faeces, leftover
food, animal droppings, plastics and effluents from industries.
Promoting environmental sanitation
Improving environmental sanitation would reduce the reported number of diseases.
Environmental sanitation means keeping the immediate surroundings clean and properly
disposing of refuse or waste including proper burial of dead bodies, minerals and animals. It
is the community members who produce both liquid and solid waste; therefore, keeping the
community clean should involve the entire community. Box 4.2.3 lists some environmental
actions that can be taken to prevent some diseases.
What are some environmental problems we find in our communities that affect our health?
What can community members do to keep their communities clean so as to prevent
diseases?
Volunteers should take part in making their communities healthy places to live in (Box
4.2.3). Your role is to talk to community members about keeping their environment clean.
The exercise below will help you identify your roles in promoting sanitation and hygiene.
Figure 4.2.6: Illustrates a child defaecating in the open. Suc open defaecation can transmit many diseases including
worm, typhoid fever and cholera.
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