Translating pathogen knowledge to practice for sanitation decision-making

Sanitation planners make complex decisions in the delivery of sanitation services to achieve health outcomes. We present findings from a stakeholder engagement workshop held in Kampala, Uganda, to educate, interact with, and solicit feedback from participants on how the relevant scientific literatur...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of water and health 2019-12, Vol.17 (6), p.896-909
Main Authors: Tumwebaze, Innocent K, Rose, Joan B, Hofstra, Nynke, Verbyla, Matthew E, Musaazi, Isaac, Okaali, Daniel A, Kaggwa, Rose C, Nansubuga, Irene, Murphy, Heather M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Bacteria
Bridges
Capacity development
Coliforms
Decision Making
Excreta
Faecal coliforms
Familiarity
Fecal coliforms
Feces
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Hygiene
Knowledge
Pathogens
Planning
Pollution
Protozoa
Public health
Sanitation
Sanitation - standards
Sanitation services
Stakeholders
Uganda
Viruses
Water
Water Microbiology
Water Quality - standards
Water Supply - standards
Water treatment
Workshops
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Summary:Sanitation planners make complex decisions in the delivery of sanitation services to achieve health outcomes. We present findings from a stakeholder engagement workshop held in Kampala, Uganda, to educate, interact with, and solicit feedback from participants on how the relevant scientific literature on pathogens can be made more accessible to practitioners to support decision-making. We targeted Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) practitioners involved in different levels of service delivery. Practitioners revealed that different sanitation planning tools are used to inform decision-making; however, most of these tools are not user-friendly or adapted to meet their needs. Most stakeholders (68%) expressed familiarity with pathogens, yet less than half (46%) understood that fecal coliforms were bacteria and used as indicators for fecal pollution. A number of stakeholders were unaware that fecal indicator bacteria do not behave and persist the same as helminths, protozoa, or viruses, making fecal indicator bacteria inadequate for assessing pathogen reductions for all pathogen groups. This suggests a need for awareness and capacity development around pathogens found in excreta. The findings underscore the importance to engage stakeholders in the development of support tools for sanitation planning and highlighted broader opportunities to bridge science with practice in the WASH sector.
ISSN:1477-8920
1996-7829
DOI:10.2166/wh.2019.151