100 Years Behind or We’re a Backward Country?

Public Health Nutrition and Child Care

Page 5 of the Philippine Star News on the 4th of July 2015 printed this title: “Over 7 M Pinoys have no toilets at home.” The article was based from the concern of Senator Ralph Recto that emanated from a report of the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund. The newspaper report also mentioned about use of unsafe and dirty water for drinking and bathing among the poorest of the poor in the rural areas. Accordingly, 2.3 million Filipinos are reported to be using untreated water from rivers and canals for drinking. Some 570,000 Filipinos also use unsanitary facilities such as bucket and open-pit latrines. In the news, it said, “…seven million Filipinos do not have toilets in their homes and have to defecate just about anywhere.”

Considering that the Commission on Population data as of January 1, 2015 that we have become the 12th most populated country in the world with 100,730,309 people, the 7 million Filipinos with no toilet might just be considered a small number or a drop in the bucket. But if numbers do not lie, maybe it’s time for us to think: “Has the country’s social services deteriorated? Or are we just a very backward country?”

Social impact

In progressive countries, owning an inside toilet or a toilet inside the home is as universal as having an electric light bulb or a television set. With little research, data would show that in 1919 all of the houses in suburban London were provided or equipped with inside toilet. Are we 100 years behind?

Having a toilet, maybe even just a government-provided makeshift one, or just an outside toilet is an absolute necessity these days. More so that in these era of bottled drinking water, even those who live in abject poverty should have accessibility to clean drinking and bathing water.

Impact to health and disease

Feces that goes to the soil is often referred to as “night soil” among students of parasitology. Night soil is the source of larva and/or ova (egg) of parasites that can get inside the body and infect humans. One common parasite that can be contracted from night soil is Ascaris lumbricoides, a roundworm that can cause ascariasis or human intestinal parasitism. There are other parasites that can come from dirty or parasite infested soil that result from unsanitary disposal of human feces. The eggs are ingested when one dishes with his fingers. Some parasites can even directly penetrate the skin of the soles of the feet. The cycle goes on and will not stop as long human feces egg-laden with worm eggs are scattered on the ground.

Unsanitary drinking water can result to many diseases including cholera that can result to diarrhea, dehydration, and in severe cases – death. Dirty water may carry single-celled organisms that are harmful to the body, including Entamoeba hystolytica that causes amebiasis. Amebiasis results to diarrhea and malaise. Human carriers emit ameba cysts (eggs) in their stools and when not properly disposed off the cycle continues.