Makerere University presents SaniPath results from Kampala at UNC Water & Health Conference

Dr. Richard Mugambe from Makerere University in Uganda presented findings from the SaniPath Exposure Assessment performed in Kampala, Uganda at a poster session during the UNC Water and Health Conference in October 2020. This was the first assessment of fecal contamination performed in low-income neighborhoods in Kampala, Uganda. The findings highlighted the important connection between poor sanitation and hygiene conditions and fecal contamination of street food and raw produce.

Poster PDF:

Mugambe et al. UNC Water and Health Conf

Download UNC WATER AND HEALTH CONF • 565KB

To visit the UNC Water and Health Conference website which includes 1 minute introduction to the poster by Dr. Mugambe, click here.

Makerere University Presents SaniPath Results from Kampala, Uganda at Stockholm World Water Week

Our colleague from Makerere University, Dr. Richard Mugambe, presented results from a SaniPath Exposure Assessment performed in Kampala, Uganda during a session at the Stockholm World Water Week Conference entitled "Tools to Support Climate-Smart Sanitation Decision-Making for the Urban Poor". During the session, Dr. Mugambe spoke alongside speakers from the Global Water Pathogen Project and HyCRISTAL about how complementary tools can be used to address important public health questions, such as "What areas of the city are predicted to have the highest health hazard from exposure to excreta?" and "What interventions can be made to reduce health risks from exposure to excreta in the environment?". These study questions were addressed in a Kampala case study to demonstrate the utility of complementary tools for climate-friendly sanitation decisions.

A link to the presentation recordings can be found here.

Comparison of SaniPath exposure assessments in low-income urban areas in eight countries

American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2019

November 20-24, 2019

Wolfgang Mairinger, Yuke Wang, Suraja Raj, Habib Yakubu, Casey Siesel, Jamie Green, Sarah Durry, Christine Moe

Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States

The SaniPath exposure assessment tool compares risks of exposure to fecal contamination in urban environments across multiple exposure pathways. The tool has been deployed in 39 neighborhoods in 8 cities: Accra, Ghana, Vellore, India; Maputo, Mozambique; Siem Reap, Cambodia; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Atlanta, United States; Lusaka, Zambia; and Kampala, Uganda. Ten exposure pathways were investigated (open drains, ocean water, surface water, floodwater, public latrines, soil, bathing water, raw produce, drinking water, and street food) through behavior surveys and environmental sample analyses. Exposure was expressed as monthly dose (average amount of fecal contamination ingested as measured by E. coli colony-forming units [CFU]) and the percent of population exposed to fecal contamination for each pathway. Magnitude of fecal contamination, frequency of exposure behavior, and estimated fecal exposures were compared across pathways, neighborhoods and cities. The most common dominant exposure pathways for adults were raw produce, open drains, and street food and for children were open drains, produce, and floodwater. For produce, the dose was usually very high (>106 CFU/ month), and a large percent of the population was exposed (>80%). For street food, average E. coli concentration ranged from 101.3 CFU/serving in one neighborhood in Lusaka, Zambia to 105.5 CFU/serving in one neighborhood in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Exposure to open drains resulted in high doses (>104 CFU/month), but the population exposed varied (5%-92%) even within the same city. Exposure to fecal contamination via floodwater, usually affected a high percent of population (>80%) but had variable doses (102.5-1010 CFU/month). Both dose and percent of population exposed varied for public latrines and municipal piped water. This information can help city governments choose effective interventions to reduce the risk of exposure to fecal contamination. Widespread risks from contaminated produce and street food within and across cities underscore the link between excreta management and food safety and need for global action.