Assessment of Public Health Risks from Unsafe Fecal Sludge Management in Accra, Ghana

H Yakubu, D Berendes, K Robb, A Kirby, Y Wang, J Michiel, B Doe, S Raj, J Ampofo, CL Moe

4th International Faecal Sludge Management Conference (February 2017)

Habib Yukubu shared the results of a deployment of the SaniPath tool in Accra, Ghana during the 4th International Faecal Sludge Management Conference. The purpose of the study was to evaluate whether the tool could be used to characterize city level exposure to fecal contamination using a subset of representative neighborhoods with varying sanitation coverage, population density, and socioeconomic status. Yukubu and his colleagues found that the SaniPath could be a useful tool to determine which exposure pathway presents the greatest risk of exposure to fecal contamination and whether that risk differed between neighborhoods.READ MORE

Urban Risk Factors Associated With Enteric Infection in Children: The Role of Toilets, FSM, and Flooding In A Low-Income Neighborhood of Vellore, India

D Berendes, J Leon, A Kirby, J Clennon, S Raj, H Yakubu, K Robb, A Kartikeyan, P Hemavathy, A Gunasekaran, S Roy, B Ghale, J Kumar, V Mohan, G Kang, CL Moe

4th International Faecal Sludge Management Conference (February 2017)

During the 4th International Faecal Sludge Management Conference, David Berendes presented the findings from a study that examined household and neighborhood environmental factors which contribute to pediatric enteric infection risk. The key lessons learned from this study are: it is imperative that homes with tanks that discharge directly to open drains plan for fecal sludge containment during rainy seasons, and that low coverage of household toilets combined with prevalent open drains may increase the risk of enteric infection among children.READ MORE

Quantitative Assessment of Exposure to Fecal Contamination for Young Children in a Crowded, Low-Income Urban Environment in the SaniPath Study of Accra, Ghana

Y Wang, CL Moe, C Null, S Raj, K Baker, K Robb, H Yakubu, J Ampofo, N Wellington, M Freeman, G Armah, H Reese, D Peprah, P Teunis

American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (November 2016)

Yuke Wang presented a poster that discussed quantitative analysis results related to a SaniPath deployment in low-income urban environments in Accra, Ghana. This presentation included discussions related to the fecal microbe transfer network designed based on structured observations, questionnaires, and environmental samples. The analysis technique allowed for tracking of fecal bacteria from the environment to oral ingestion by utilizing fecal microbe transfer networks and provides insight as to risk of exposure to fecal microbes across various exposure pathways. This presentation was given at the 2016 ASTMH meeting in Atlanta, GA, which brings together professionals interested in tropical medicine and global health.

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Risk factors for pediatric enteric infection in a low-income, urban neighborhood: Examining the contributions of the household environment, neighborhood geography, and exposure behaviors

D Berendes J Leon, A Kirby, J Clennon, S Raj, H Yakubu, K Robb, A Kartikeyan, P Hemavathy, A Gunasekaran, B Ghale, JS Kumar, V Mohan, G Kang, and CL Moe
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine – Invited Talk (2016)

In 2016, David Berendes was invited by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine to present a research study, which examined the contribution of a child’s household/neighborhood environments and behaviors associated with exposure to enteric infection risk in an urban slum in India. Both spatial data was collected and behavioral surveys were conducted to assess exposure.

Risk factors for pediatric enteric infection in an urban slum: Examining the contributions of the household environment, neighborhood geography, and exposure behaviors

D Berendes, J Leon, A Kirby, J Clennon, S Raj, H Yakubu, K Robb, A Kartikeyan, P Hemavathy, A Gunasekaran, B Ghale, JS Kumar, V Mohan, G Kang, and CL Moe
Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (September 2016)

David Berendes presented a poster entitled Risk factors for pediatric enteric infection in an urban slum: Examining the contributions of the household environment, neighborhood geography, and exposure behaviors. The poster presented research, which examined the contribution of a child’s household/neighborhood environments and behaviors associated with exposure to enteric infection risk in an urban slum in India. Both spatial data was collected and behavioral surveys were conducted to assess exposure. This poster was presented at the ISEE conference, an annual scientific conference that “includes plenary sessions, symposia, and poster and oral presentations of accepted abstracts.”