CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY ON WATER, SANITATION, HYGIENE AND HOUSING CONDITIONS IN RURAL NORTH-CENTRAL NIGERIA: IMPACT ON INFECTIOUS DISEASE INCIDENCE AND CONTROL

Abstract

Lack of access to potable water, poor sanitation and hygiene, and ineffective vector control measures catalyse the spread of infectious diseases. This study aimed to assess access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene practices, and housing conditions in a rural community in North-Central Nigeria. Additionally, it sought to examine the interplay between these factors and the incidence of infectious diseases. This was a cross-sectional observational study set in the rural Mangu community. Ethical approval was obtained from the Plateau State Ministry of Health, and informed consent was sought from an adult representative of each sampled household. Data were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaire during walk-through home visits. A total of 772 individuals from 139 households and 100 houses were surveyed. Household sizes ranged from two to 26 individuals, and rooms had between one and seven occupants. One-fifth of the houses (n=19/100) had no access to improved sources of drinking water and relied on unprotected dug wells and streams. Sewage disposal was largely through open defecation (n=73/100) and nearly all houses (n=98) practised open dumping/burning. Febrile illness and diarrhoea were reported in residents of 71% and 40% of the houses, respectively, in the previous six months. Residents who used water from unimproved sources were four times more likely to experience a febrile illness (OR: 3.99; 95% CI: 1.11-15.7).  In Mangu community of North-Central Nigeria, prioritising access to safe drinking water and improving sanitation and hygiene practices would reduce the burden of infectious diseases, especially in children.