World Health Organization(WHO) country representative to Namibia Charles Sagoe Moses on Sunday said the country needs to find urgent solutions to deal with the outbreak of Hepatitis E in sprawling urban informal settlements which houses about 660,000 people.
In total Namibia has a population of about 2.4 million people.
The UN body released a statement saying only 54 percent of the Namibian population practices hand-washing at critical times because of poor sanitation facilities, a move that exposes them to hepatitis.
“We are here to recognize that in order to curb the spread of Hepatitis E in the urban and informal settlements, good sanitation and hygiene for all can be achieved in Namibia. Access to improved sanitation is a basic human right, yet in Namibia, 46 percent nationally (Urban: 26 percent and Rural: 70 percent) practices open defecation,” he said.
WHO are however happy that the City of Windhoek and line ministries have embraced the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach, not only to address the ongoing Hepatitis E outbreak but as a sustainable solution to address sanitation and hygiene challenges. Enditem
