Water and Sanitation infections are rife in the Tano North District of Brong-Ahafo Region, available statistics from the District Directorate of Health indicates.

According to the figures, the district recorded 3,561 cases of diarrhea, 153 typhoid fever, 1,359 intestinal worm, and 5,630 upper respiratory tract diseases, from January to June 2014.

Mr John Baidoo, Chief Executive Officer of the Sustainable Development Focus (SUDEF), a health centered non-governmental organisation, disclosed this on Wednesday when he addressed school children at a forum to mark the Global Hand Washing Day at Susuanso in the Tano District.

The day, which falls on October 5 every year, was instituted by the United Nations as a means of focusing attention on the importance of hand washing with soap to prevent the outbreak of communicable diseases.

Mr Baidoo observed that water and sanitation related diseases were rife in the district because about 90 percent of latrines in educational institutions did not have facilities for hand washing.

He said water borne infections constituted about 70 to 80 percent of all sicknesses reported at the Out Patient Department of the various health facilities in the district.

Mr Baidoo emphasised the importance to make it compulsory for all basic schools to have hand washing facilities.

“When the habit of hand washing is conscientiously enforced, it is going to help us in curbing the spread of sicknesses such as Ebola and cholera”, he added.