6 Sanitation and Cleanliness for a Healthy Environment
How does poor sanitation lead to health problems?
Illnesses caused by germs and worms in feces are a constant source of discomfort
for millions of people. These illnesses can cause many years of sickness and can
lead to other health problems such as dehydration, anemia, and malnutrition. Severe
sanitation‑related illnesses like cholera can spread rapidly, bringing sudden death to
many people.
Signs of Illness
Worm
Infections
Roundworm
Whipworm
Pinworm
Hookworm
Blood flukes
(Schistosomiasis)
Constant hunger
Swollen belly
Diarrhea
Itching around
the anus
Poor sleep
Tiredness
Frequent watery stools
Dehydration
Cramps
Fever
Weakness
Diarrhea with blood
and mucus
(sign of amebic dysentery)
Diarrhea
Diseases
Diarrhea
Dysenter y
Cholera
Typhoid
Giardia
To learn more about treating diarrhea diseases and worm infections, see Chapters 12
and 13 (especially pages 131 to 161) in the book Where There is No Doctor.
How germs spread disease
Many illnesses are spread from person to person by germs. Germs are tiny living
things that cause sickness. Sometimes it is easy to know where germs are — in feces,
rotting foods, and other dirty places. But sometimes, germs are in places that look
and smell clean. Germs can pass directly from person to person through touch, and
sometimes through the air with dust or when people cough or sneeze. They can
spread through food and drinking water. Or they can be carried by flies and animals.
Germs that cause diarrhea travel on these paths:
feces
fingers
flies
fields
food
mouth
fluids
Sometimes it is easier to remember the ways germs travel by showing that
they are all words beginning with the letter “F”: fingers, flies, fields, foods, and fluids (water).