Last Updated on: 20th April 2023, 09:10 pm
Oyam, April 20, 2023: According to July 2022 data from the District Health Department, 82.2 per cent of the total population in Oyam district has pit latrines. 17.8 per cent, an equivalent of 16,000 people is doing open defecation.
Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Oyam, Williams Komakech has now ordered all village health team (VHT) members to work hand-in-hand with development partners to attain a full 100% of latrines coverage in the district.
According to Komakech, an assessment shows that many people have non-recommended latrines which put them at risk of contracting sanitation-related diseases like bilharzia, typhoid and diarrhoea.
To the remaining 16,000 households, the RDC has ordered them to construct latrines before next year. He said the district will launch a sensitization drive which will focus on improving sanitation facilities in the district.
Meanwhile, in Otwal sub-county, Oyam district, 45 people have been registered with a strange disease similar to bilharzia.
Patrick Alulu, one of the VHT members confirmed this, saying such persons have been rushed to the health facility after showing signs like abdominal pain, fever, and high temperatures, among others.
Betty Owani the health secretary of Oyam district local government says a team of epidemiologists and surveillance have been sent to ascertain the facts through the samples collected from the patients.
By Nancy Atim, our correspondent based in Lira City.