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Upgrading existing latrines in resource-poor communities with pour-flush toilets and ventilation pipes to reduce disease transmission. The Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrine model effectively reduces the rate of fecal-oral disease transmission due to flies passing between exposed latrine pits and food areas, improving health outcomes in a place where diarrhea is a leading cause of infant mortality.
What is Latrine Improvement?
The addition of a ventilation pipe to an existing latrine can lead to a 90% reduction in the number of flies leaving that latrine. Given the importance of flies as vectors of harmful water-borne pathogens, this simple addition can greatly reduce the incidence of diarrheal disease in vulnerable populations.
How does it work?
1. Identify latrines for improvement
2. Install ventilation pipe and pour-flush toilet, as needed
3. Facilitate community-led training in system maintenance
What are the benefits of Latrine Improvement?
The addition of mechanisms to more effectively prevent disease vectors like flies from reaching toilet wastewater can greatly improve health outcomes in the local community. Equipping simple latrines with ventilation pipes and pour-flush toilets can lead to a rapid reduction in transmission of diarrheal disease.
Poorly-designed latrines can lead to untreated wastewater coming into direct contact with groundwater and/or sensitive watershed ecosystems. Both scenarios can be significantly limited by retrofitting existing latrines with ventilation pipes and pour-flush toilets, and ensuring that future latrines are properly designed and constructed.