Hepatitis E highlights need for better sanitation

The Hepatitis E outbreak, which has put the lives of thousands of Namibians at risk, is another sad reminder that the sanitation conditions and water situation in this country is not adequate. Hepatitis E is caused by the HE-virus and spreads mainly through contaminated water. According to New Era, the health authorities have reported 59 new cases of Hepatitis E since the outbreak was confirmed by minister Bernard Haufiku late last year. Three of the victims are in critical condition according to the health ministry. The Hepatitis E outbreak has mainly affected Windhoek's informal settlements of which sanitation levels are extremely poor, to say the least. It is also goes without saying that the outbreak is turning into a serious epidemic, which can lead to unnecessary loss of lives, if not entirely controlled. So far, a state of emergency to combat Hepatitis E has not been declared even though lives have been lost. The authorities appeared to have everything under control, with the health minister noting in December that the key focus was to ensure affected communities improve basic sanitation and hygiene. However, the situation is worsening with each day despite the ministry of health dispatching teams to conduct awareness campaigns on basic hygiene measures like hand-washing. The outbreak has also brought to the fore the need to improve sanitation conditions and the water situation in the informal settlements of our country. For far too long our people have had to deal with no access to clean water, while thousands lack access to sewage infrastructure. This is not only disturbing, but a huge shame for a country that has promised to ensure access to clean water and sanitation for all its citizens by 2030 as per the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal. For a country that is not densely populated, we have of the lowest sanitation coverage in the region, with the majority of our people still struggling to have improved sanitation access despite endless promises during elections and so on. The bottom line is that the living conditions of our people need major improvement if we are to successfully tackle deadly diseases as such as Hepatitis E.