An assessment of the health risks associated with shared sanitation: a case study of the community ablution blocks in Durban, South Africa.

ABSTRACT: Shared sanitation facilities have been hailed as an innovative approach to solve the challenge with sanitation access. However, these facilities may act as hotspots for disease transmission due to unhygienic conditions. In this study we used quantitative (based on Escherichia coli contamination) techniques to assess the health risks associated with the use of community ablution blocks (CABs). The most contaminated surfaces were the cistern handle (5.7 Log₁₀ cfu/cm²) and internal pull latch (5.8 Log₁₀ cfu/cm²). Based on the E. coli contamination, at least two people out of 100 CAB users might be potentially infected when they touch "hot" surfaces. These risks were modelled assuming transfer of potentially pathogenic E. coli from these surfaces to

SUBMITTER: Ramlal PS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9035208 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature