Is waste management a priority in such precarious situations?
The accumulation of waste, especially in urban and peri-urban like situations because of their high population density, creates public health risks through the presence of insect or rodent vectors of diseases. Breeding of flies plays a major role in the transmission of faeco-oral diseases as flies are vectors that carry pathogens. Rodents are directly or indirectly responsible for the transmission of diseases such as plague, leptospirosis and salmonella. Water in empty tins, tyres, etc., may be a breeding site for Aedes mosquitoes responsible for the transmission of dengue and yellow fevers and other arboviruses. Inadequate waste management may cause the pollution of surface and groundwater and increase the risk of fire. Medical wastes represent a particular risk as they are infectious, and therefore need special attention. As much as possible waste should be disposed of by on-site burying, brought to a defined landfill, or incineration if no better options are available.
