A Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) specialist with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Mr Saaondo Anom, has stated that over 113 million Nigerians defecate in the open due to lack of sanitation facilities.
Speaking during a workshop organised by UNICEF in Enugu, recently, he said this practice constitute health hazards to Nigerians.
According to him, a gramme of faeces constitute over 10 million viruses, which could be harmful when released into the environment and are responsible for the several illnesses that is presently bedeviling various communities.
Anom noted that the problems are further aggravated by the fact that about 63 million Nigerians lack access to improved sanitation.
He said, “Do you know that a teaspoon of shit, or in other words, a lethal dose, just one gramme of human feaces can contain more than 10 million viruses, one million parasites, 1000 parasities cysts and 1000 parasities eyes”.
According to him, one can imagine the amount of infections people who defecate in the open voluntarily release into the communities which in turn come to harm others.
