The effect of hygiene communication on emptying of urine diversion toilets

Diarrhoeal disease is a major concern to the South African government. Understanding the relationship between the lack of water and sanitation and diarrhoeal disease, the government has developed a national initiative to provide poor and rural communities with a basic sanitation facility, one of which is a Urine Diversion toilet. This paper includes assessment of the effectiveness of hygiene messages on vault emptying behaviours and the possible transfer of pathogens to hands during emptying processes. The method involve observation of vault emptying behaviours, interviews with key stakeholders and microbiological analysis of indicator species on hands before and after vault emptying. The results indicated that health and hygiene messages were not actioned by the study group and that there was no significant difference between the E-Coli and Faecal coliforms on the hands before and after emptying Conclusions from the study were that correct operation and maintenance of Urine Diversion toilet require, health and hygiene education programmes to be ongoing and continue beyond the life of the project

Two approaches to rural sanitation delivery: case study of Kwa Zulu-Natal, South Africa

Sanitation service delivery in South Africa is directly linked to the history of the country. The number of households lacking basic sanitation services in 2001 was approximately 4.7 million. This amounts to approximately 18 million people or 42% of the population. During August 2000 to June 2001, South Africa experienced one of the worst cholera epidemics in the country’s recent history. The outbreak was linked to outbreaks in Mozambique, Swaziland and Zambia. By December 2002, South Africa had reported a total of 151 852 cholera cases. The efforts to combat the epidemic involved government at all levels and included interventions such as access to potable water, sanitation, and education. This paper compares the conventional approach to sanitation which was implemented before the cholera outbreak to the accelerated approach which evolved in the KwaZulu-Natal Province as a result of the outbreak

The design and development of a sanitation hand washing dispenser: a South African case study

South Africa is a country of extremes where many people in rural areas still lack basic services such as water and sanitation. It is estimated that 5 million South Africans do not have access to basic water services, while 17-18 million lack basic sanitation services. South Africa launched the WASH programme with one of the aims to increase the incidence of hand washing at the right times such that it results in a significant decrease in the incidence of water-related diseases. This paper looks at hand washing behvaviour in villages in two municipalities in South Africa and shows the technology development which evolved out of the difficulties being experience by households in the country to meet these basic hand washing requirements

Safety Assurance in NextGen

The generation of minimum operational, safety, performance, and interoperability requirements is an important aspect of safely integrating new NextGen components into the Communication Navigation Surveillance and Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) system. These requirements are used as part of the implementation and approval processes. In addition, they provide guidance to determine the levels of design assurance and performance that are needed for each element of the new NextGen procedures, including aircraft, operator, and Air Navigation and Service Provider. Using the enhanced Airborne Traffic Situational Awareness for InTrail Procedure (ATSA-ITP) as an example, this report describes some limitations of the current process used for generating safety requirements and levels of required design assurance. An alternative process is described, as well as the argument for why the alternative can generate more comprehensive requirements and greater safety assurance than the current approach

A critique of approaches to measuring effective hand washing in Mpumalanga, South Africa

Diarrhoeal disease was ranked fifth on the list of causes of premature mortality in South Africa in 2000. High standards of hygiene and access to safe water and sanitation services can be related to a reduced risk of diarrhea. Based on the understanding and interpretation of good sanitation, hygiene and related practices in South Africa, all sanitation programmes and interventions in the country focus to some degree on hand washing practices and behaviours. Health and hygiene interventions are implemented from the knowledge that hand washing can act as a barrier to several of the transmission routes of diarrhoeal pathogens. As a result, many sanitation interventions in South Africa begin with a baseline assessment which includes a review of present sanitation, hygiene and related practices. This paper focuses specifically on the measurement of one aspect of health and hygiene awareness in South Africa, namely hand washing behaviours. The paper is a critique of methods used in assessing these household behaviours in two villages in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa

Perspective in physical therapy education: creating a communication network to connect clinical education stakeholders

Current issue: Collaboration among national, regional, and local physical therapy (PT) clinical education (CE) stakeholders is variable, creating fragmentation, duplication of efforts, and inconsistent lines of communication. Perspective: A formalized network for effectively communicating across all CE stakeholders is needed to promote excellence in PT education. Whether centralized, decentralized, or blended, determining the best organizational structure to position the CE community for the future is critical. Participants at the 2018 National Consortium of Clinical Educators regional networking session envisioned the ideal network as a blended structure with shared leadership and centralized resources in either a bottom-up–top-down or circular configuration. A web of communication pathways connecting all CE stakeholders was also emphasized. Implications for clinical education: Transforming the vision of CE partnerships from the narrow academic program–clinical site dyad to a broader, well-connected CE ecosystem is a prerequisite to develop a communication network. National, regional, and local stakeholders, including clinical representatives, must contribute to the development of the network. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are critical for building efficient, bidirectional interorganizational communication. The time is right for national leadership to collaborate with local CE stakeholders to identify the best network structure and ICTs to move the profession forward in its pursuit of educational excellence