Big ideas from the smallest room
Toilet Talks
Cecilia Birungi

Health and water and sanitation are intrinsically related

My name is Cecilia Birungi and I am the District Health Inspector for the Kabarole district of Uganda. Lack of water and sanitation services are serious safety issues and addressing these challenges is a daily responsibility for me.  I’ve been working in this field for 17 years and I feel very proud when I see that the communities that I serve are finally living free from sanitation-related diseases.

It's not enough

However, my greatest frustration is that it’s not enough. Despite much effort that is put into prevention, the public still gets infected with communicable diseases. The lack of sanitation services drives the burden of contagious illnesses. The majority of the district sanitation facilities are limited, and some are shared amongst households, contributing to sanitation related sickness like diarrhea. Poor medical waste handling has also increased the chance of transmission for highly contagious infections.