Burden and Practice of Open Defecation in Ethiopia: Narrative Review

Gessessew Bugssa; Kelali Kaleaye

Abstract

Open defecation is a universal problem and an estimated 15% to 20% of the global population or more than 1.1 billion people still engage in open defecation. This mini review rapidly focuses on the most important aspects of open defecation, that is, on burden and practice of open defecation in Ethiopia. The search was carried out in PubMed, Medline, Google search, and web sites of relevant governmental and nongovernment agencies using key words such as open defecation, practice, burden, sanitation, and Ethiopia. According to our review of the literature, open defection is a common practice in Ethiopia ranging from 8% in urban to 43% in the rural areas with an overall open defecation rate of 34.1%. In addition, it was projected that 97.5% of people in rural areas and 82.5% of those in urban areas lacked access to better sanitation. The problem of open defecation is persisting in the country and is the main contributing factor for diarrhea related morbidities and mortalities. Pediatric diarrhea is a significant public health issue in Ethiopia, where incidence rates vary from 13.5% to 30.5%. Furthermore, poor sanitation is to blame for up to 60% of the disease load already present, with diarrhea accounting for 15% of all fatalities, primarily among the huge population of children under the age of 5 years. Because there are not enough suitable sanitation facilities, people are forced to practice open defecation, which contributes to Ethiopia’s massive diarrheal burden.

Abstract

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