Public Health Risks Associated with Unsafe Fecal Sludge Management in Accra, Ghana

H Yakubu, D Berendes, K Robb, A Kirby, Y Wang, J Michiel, B Doe, S Raj, J Ampofo, CL Moe

UNC Water and Health Conference (October 2017)

At the 2017 UNC Water and Health Conference in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, David Berendes and Suraja Raj presented on behalf of Habib Yakubu. Both colleagues discussed the rationale, design, and results of the SaniPath Tool, a tool which evaluates public health risks from unsafe fecal sludge management (FSM) in low resource urban neighborhoods around the world. In this presentation, the results from four representative neighborhoods in Accra, Ghana were shared. The four neighborhoods were classified using a score scale into “very poor”, “poor”, “moderate” and “good” sanitation neighborhoods. Behavior survey and environmental sampling data showed a general trend of fecal exposure that followed the classification of neighborhoods. However, produce had the greatest risk of exposure to fecal contamination regardless of the classification of the neighborhood. Overall the study found that unsafe FSM can lead to exposure to fecal contamination irrespective of where you live.

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Pathogen Flows: Applying Public Health Principles to Urban Sanitation

CL Moe

World Water Week (August 2017)

At the 2017 World Water Week conference in Stockholm, Sweden, Dr. Christine Moe participated in a presentation that examined the intersection of urban sanitation and public health. Dr. Moe explained the rationale, design, and results of the SaniPath Tool and how public health principles are incorporated to assess risk of exposure to fecal contamination in urban low-income communities. The presentation discussed the value of incorporating public health principles in sanitation tools and how results can be used to influence policy. This event covered “solid and liquid fecal wastes, in sewered and unsewered settings” and aimed to focus on how pathogen flow factors could be incorporated into sanitation action and thinking.

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Translating Sanitation Tool Results to Policy

Emory University, TREND Group, Ghana, Center for Science and Environment (CSE), India, Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP)

40th WEDC International Conference (July 2017) – Side Event

At the 40th WEDC conference in Loughborough, UK, Habib Yakubu and Christine Moe of the SaniPath team hosted a side event with CSE, CSTEP, and TREND that allowed for sharing of experiences related to using sanitation-related tools and data to influence policy and development. The outcome was an engaging discussion about how to best use tools to influence policy by engaging policymakers and by considering how results of tools can inform evidence-based policy recommendations.