Assessment of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Conditions in Public Elementary Schools in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

ABSTRACT: Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in schools are essential to reduce infectious disease transmission, including that of COVID-19. This study aimed to establish a baseline of WASH services in six public elementary schools in Guatemala, with a focus on hand hygiene. We used the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) report indicators to assess the WASH infrastructure at each school. We collected water samples from easily accessible water points (pilas, or bathroom sinks) at each school to test for the presence of total coliforms and E. coli. In-depth interviews were carried out with teachers to understand hand hygiene practices and systems at school. Results indicate that all schools had water available at the time of the survey. All water samples at four schools tes

SUBMITTER: Pieters MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10606716 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature