124,000 Infants Die Yearly From Diarrhea, Says minister

About 124,000 infants, under the age of five, die yearly of diarrhea and other toilet-related diseases in Nigeria.

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouk, stated this, yesterday, during a sensitisation/awareness campaign on Clean Nigeria-Use the Toilet, organised for Bakassi internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp in Cross River State.

The minister, who was represented by the Director, Social Development, Taiwo Bashorun, stated that the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is affected economically, by about 1.3 per cent depletion through poor hygiene and sanitation, as well as the lack of potable water.

The minister said World Health Organisation (WHO) records show that one in every four Nigerians is involved in OD, resulting in transmission of wild polio virus, cholera and hepatitis, among other infectious diseases.

She also stated that additional data presented by UNICEF shows that an estimated 120 million persons lack access to improved sanitation and hygienic toilet facilities.

She, however, appealed to the IDPs to ensure they joined in the fight against OD by not defecating in the open.

Earlier, the Supervisor of Environment, Mrs. Nkoyo Effiong, who spoke on effective hygiene, advised the IDPs to desist from discarding used pampers in open places; instead, she urged them to drop them into toilets to avoid contact with other persons.

In his remarks, the Chairman for Bakassi Council, Iyadim Iyadim, commended the minister for taking the campaign against OD to his domain and promised to do everything within his powers to complement global efforts at ending the practice of open defecation in the area.

By Tina Agosi Todo

https://guardian.ng/news/124000-infants-die-yearly-from-diarrhoea-says-minister/