Proper waste management: A crucial defense against disease

We are in Musaga, in the South Bujumbura Mairie health district, one of the health facilities that receives assistance from UNICEF and its partners. In the context of epidemics or humanitarian crises, the risk of contamination is higher due to the number of people in contact and the huge movement of patients (around 30,000 per month). This is why UNICEF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS, has provided personal protection equipment and sanitary products to fight against infectious diseases in this locality.

"Notre Dame de la Miséricorde" is one of Musaga’s hospitals that has received some of this support. We decided to visit this hospital. Led by Jean-Claude, the district's principal supervisor, we were welcomed by Sister Léa Kankesha, the hospital's director, who was pleased to have us tour the hospital's services. We entered a large corridor at the end of which we found two men and a woman, hardly recognizable because of their suits: they were cleaners in protective clothing disposing of various kinds of waste.

"The use of chlorine for cleaning removes parasites and bacteria. Nosocomial infections (contaminated in health facilities) and contagion through contact are reduced by wearing medical boots and gowns," says Clovis, a nurse we met at the hospital.

The hospital has many healthcare services, including surgery, emergency, laboratories, prenatal consultations, maternity, pediatrics, and inpatient care, all of which generate enormous quantities of biomedical waste to be disposed of on a daily basis. If badly treated, this waste can be a source of disease.

"Germs from waste can make people ill. By dressing like this, I'm protecting myself and others," explains one of the cleaners, spraying chlorine to disinfect frequently touched surfaces. In facilities providing health services such as this hospital, the people handling the waste are more exposed and can also be potential spreading vectors for germs.

"The waste is disposed of on time, and there are fewer flies from the rubbish dumps thanks to the lidded bins we have received," said Sister Léa. Previously, all the hospital's waste was collected in one place. Thanks to this support, waste is now collected in garbage bins where it is separated according to its type: red bins for human anatomical waste (stomatology, gynecology, and especially surgery), yellow bins for non-anatomical infectious waste (infusion sets, dressings, cotton swabs), and black bins for household waste.

"The staff on duty work at ease, and the communities around the hospital no longer complain about the bad smells that used to emanate from the old waste dump we had before. All public spaces are cleaned with disinfectants," Jean-Claude told us.

This support, consisting of reusable plastic protective aprons, non-slip boots, protective suits, heavy-duty gloves, surgical gowns, surgical masks, thermometers, disinfectants, caps, waste bins, etc., was obtained thanks to financial support from the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance USAID BHA through EMOPS Office of Emergency Programme: First Action Initiative (FAI). The Isare and Cibitoke health districts also benefited from this support. This support is part of the water, hygiene, and sanitation response to health emergencies (cholera response and EVD prevention) at a cost of USD 250,156.

However, the need for protection against infectious diseases is also being expressed in other localities. This is why UNICEF and the Government of Burundi are continuously working to mobilize funds from its partners and donors to support the neediest populations in need of assistance.