Water, Hygiene and Sanitation in Health

Structures

INTRODUCTION
 Characteristics of Health Structures

 The most usual classification of health structures is as

follows:
• Hospitals: Provide a wide range of health services to both
in-patients (IPD) and out-patients (OPD)
• Polyclinics / Urban Health Structures: Provide a wide
range of health services primarily out-patient facility
(OPD). May receive in-patients if no hospital in the vicinity.
• Rural health centers: Provide a limited range of health
services to out-patient only. In-patients exceptionally
• Health posts: Provide a basic range of health services to
out-patients only

Hygiene Presentation- 2014 2

 Minimum Water and Sanitation
requirements in Health Structures

 The minimum water and sanitation requirements allow

curative actions to be undertaken, and contribute
towards reducing the risk of disease transmission
within the health structures.
 They are applicable to:
• The smallest health post through to the largest health
structure;
• Every situation whether emergencies or stabilized
situations.

Hygiene Presentation- 2014 3

 Minimum Water and Sanitation
requirements in Health Structures

COVERED FIELDS
• Assessment, planning, training or health personnel and hygiene
promotion;
• Training and adequately equipped personnel involved in WASH
in health structure
• Provision of a sufficient quantity of water, of adequate
quality, for drinking and bathing
• Provision of adequate excreta disposal facilities
• Adequate disposal of wastewater
• Provision of safe and secure segregation, storage, (treatment)
and final disposal of all types of waste

Hygiene Presentation- 2014 4

 The Importance of Water, Hygiene and
Sanitation in Health Structures

OVERALL GOAL OF ACF

 To preserve life and alleviate suffering, while protecting
human dignity and seeking to restore the ability of people to
make their own decisions.

 Access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)

contributes to this goal because:
• It prevents and controls a large number of diseases;
• It improves the quality of life, as well as the dignity, of
those served

Hygiene Presentation- 2014 5

 The Importance of Water, Hygiene and
Sanitation in Health Structures

 IN HEALTH STRUCTURES:
• Clean water is needed for curative interventions;
• WHS contributes to prevent patient from being infected with
another disease while staying in health facilities (nosocomial
infections),
• WHS may also prevent health staff from getting injured or
infected.

 These preventative measures taken in the health facility consist

of a number of minimum requirements with regards to the
provision of clean drinking water, sanitary facilities, vector
control and waste management.

Hygiene Presentation- 2014 6

 Disease and Disease Transmission

 Diseases are caused by microorganisms existing in the

environment often called pathogens. The most
common types of pathogens are listed in the following
table:

Hygiene Presentation- 2014 7

 Disease and Disease Transmission

 To be able to survive, pathogens must:

• Leave the infected person (called host)

• Survive transmission in the environment

• Develop and/or multiply in the newly infected host.

Hygiene Presentation- 2014 8

 Disease and Disease Transmission

 MODE OF TRANSMISSION:
• The air: air-borne infections (e.g. Tuberculosis, Influenza)
• The food: food-borne infections (e.g. gastroenteritis,
salmonelosis)
• The water: water-borne infections (e.g. Typhoid, cholera,
amoebiasis)
• Vectors such as mosquitoes, flies, mites, rodents etc :
vectorborne infections (e.g. malaria, filariasis)
• The lack of hygiene, water : water-washed infections
(e.g. trachoma, ringworm, scabies)
• Body fluids such as blood (e.g. Hep B, AIDS).

Hygiene Presentation- 2014 9

 Disease and Disease Transmission

 Faecal-oral infections are among the most common and

can be prevented by WASH. They are food-borne, water-
borne and water-washed.
 MODES OF TRANSMISSION :

WASH may prevent the

spreading of diseases by
blocking the transmission
routes

Hygiene Presentation- 2014 10