Health
Today Is World Toilet Day
World Toilet Day
Today marks the first ever United Nations sponsored “World Toilet Day” and it isn’t a euphemism for where recent events have tossed the planet. Rather, the simple privilege taken for granted in the West of relieving oneself in a toilet is not available to one third of the planet’s inhabitants or 2.5 billion people.
A lack of proper sanitation gives rise to what is termed “open defecation” which is an acceptable practice in many cultures. The impact of poor sanitation is deadly. It is believed that as many as 800,000 children die annually from diarrhea which stems from bacteria from poor sanitation. The UN considers these types of illnesses or diseases preventable.
Improper sanitation also contribute to a poor education among women. It may not seem so at first, but as girls enter their puberty they begin to menstruate. That requires proper sanitation in order to maintain personal cleanliness. In impoverished countries without toilets in local schools, female puberty often equates to dropping out of school. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon stated that schools have seen an 11% rise in female attendance when toilets are added. The developing nation of Singapore led the push to create the global awareness day as it attempts to eradicate the problem in their country.
On The Web:
http://www.startribune.com/world/232421501.html
