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  • Title: Environment and health in Africa.
    Author: World Health Organization WHO. Regional Office for Africa.
    Journal: Afr J Med Pract; 1994; 1(1):13-5. PubMed ID: 12287806.
    Abstract:
    Four environmental and public health measures were identified by the World Health Organization for the well-being of Africans. This article gives some action-oriented guidelines pertaining to these measures. The measures cover an adequate and safe water supply, hygienic disposal of excrement, disposal of solid and household wastes, and a healthy habitat and housing (location, structure, and amenities). Safe water supplies should be accessible within 15 minutes. Water should not be wasted. Households may obtain water from rainwater stocks, a family well, communal water, or public taps. Households must have a sufficient number of covered containers for water storage. Collecting vessels must be kept clean and always covered. Water must be boiled during outbreaks of water-borne enteric diseases and for the use of babies, infants, and the elderly. Public places must provide adequate quantities of water for drinking and hygiene. Water supply equipment in public and community places must be properly maintained. Chlorination of the public water supplies is necessary during a disease outbreak. Communities must identify alternative water sources during emergencies. Water supplies must be protected against pollution or contamination. Latrines must be constructed, improved, and maintained within 10 meters of households and at least 15 meters of wells. Public and community places must provide clean latrines. Wastes must be collected in a suitable covered container and placed safely away from infants and animals. In lieu of public waste collection, households must dispose of wastes daily in a pit covered with dirt. Hospitals must dispose of contaminated wastes with incineration and burial of ashes in a dirt-covered pit a distance from buildings. Public collections systems for waste removal are necessary in densely populated areas. Public repositories for waste should be suitably located, well maintained, and regularly emptied. Construction materials for repositories may be masonry or concrete or metal sheets. Housing should be located on stable and accessible grounds away from steep slopes, the edges and feet of cliffs, or flooding conditions. The structure should be sound and secure from collapse from rain and wind. Materials must repel excessive heat, cold, and humidity. Hygienic conditions must prevail.
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