Improving hygiene and sanitation in households, bars and restaurants

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Extract from the article: Good hygiene is a real obstacle to many infectious diseases, particularly those of feco-oral origin, and promotes health and well-being. For hygiene improvements to be of maximum benefit, they must be accompanied by improvements in drinking water sup

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Good hygiene is a real obstacle to many infectious diseases, particularly those of feco-oral origin, and promotes health and well-being. For hygiene improvements to be of maximum benefit, they must be accompanied by improvements in drinking water supply and sanitation. However, it is unfortunate to note that hygiene, wastewater and excreta treatment are still the poor cousins of bars, restaurants and slaughterhouses. Hygiene and sanitation conditions are deplorable, even glaring, in these fast-growing, busy establishments in the Plateaux region. A number of urgent actions and measures have been taken to intensify the fight against this phenomenon.

Field inspections

On Tuesday July 30, 2024, the Association des Professionnels de la Santé Environnementale du Togo (APSET) carried out a field inspection of bars, restaurants and foodstuffs in the Ogou prefecture. The aim is to guarantee the health of the population. A total of 68 households, 44 food handlers, 20 bars-restaurants and 1 slaughterhouse were affected. In all, 235 people were made aware of good hygiene practices (use of drinking water, use of latrines, possession of a validated professional health card before selling food, household waste management, destruction of breeding grounds in households, gutter maintenance, etc.).

Hygiene in the catering industry is just as important around restaurant sales outlets as it is in food preparation areas. Unfortunately, many restaurant owners seem to have great difficulty in managing the food waste generated by the preparation of their dishes. As a result, garbage piles up and over the course of hours or even days becomes a veritable breeding ground for microbes. Very often poorly disposed of and treated, this waste is a major threat to consumer health. Of the 68 households, 12 have no latrines. The Service Régional Hygiène Assainissement de Base de la Région des Plateaux and the Service Régional de la Préfecture de l'Ogou will be following up these households and other problems.

Hygiene in bars and restaurants prevents customers from becoming ill.Raw materials must be of high quality and supplied in a safe place.The environment of bars and restaurants must be clean.Floors and toilets must be cleaned and disinfected several times a day.Kitchen staff must have 2 medical check-ups a year. Waiters must wash their hands regularly. There is a need to monitor food safety in the Ogou prefecture.

According to Komlan Badjibassa Bilakema, Environmental Health Specialist and National President of APSET, «the inadequacy of hygiene and sanitation in these establishments has led the authorities to seek appropriate solutions.We need to support the authorities through the presence of hygiene services in households, bars, restaurants and other establishments.We need to build the capacity of bar and restaurant owners in good hygiene and sanitation practices. In view of the many dangers to which customers are exposed, it is our responsibility to ensure that the environment is hygienic.It is essential that restaurateurs make a commitment to maintaining food safety, so as to reduce food safety risks.»

This field action is part of the review of Water Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH) activities financed by the “Togo SANDAL Togo Sans Défécation à l'Air Libre” (Togo without open-air defecation) program, organized by the Direction de l'Hygiène et de l'Assainissement de Base (DHAB).The main aim of the review, which took place from July 29 to 31, 2024, was to assess the level of achievement of WASH performance indicators in both community and healthcare settings. Discussions between the authorities in charge of Hygiene and Sanitation, APSET, partners and environmental health professionals led to the formulation of recommendations.Implementing these recommendations will boost WASH indicators and, by extension, guarantee the health of the population.

William O.