Abstract: Excreta that are not disposed of or stored safely represents a health risk to man. It has been implicated in the transmission of many infectious diseases including diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, polio, cryptosporidiosis, ascariasis and schistosomiasis. This paper examined excreta disposal in Phase III slums of in the Federal Capital City Abuja, namely. Five slum areas were identified out of which two were randomly selected. The selected slums have a total of 1734 housing units, where 400 units were obtained as our sample size. The units were numbered and a systematic sampling technique was employed in selecting the 400 housing units. In each housing unit, the first and eldest woman was sampled and been served with the questionnaire. A checklist was also used to record the observations. Results show that the commonest type of latrine used in the two slums is the pit latrine, this accounts for over 60%. Open defecation is still practiced in the two slums. Over 30% of the respondents in the two slums still wrap and throw children's faeces in the nearby bush. It also revealed that 65% of the households in the two slums hardly wash their latrines. The level of their personal hygiene is also poor, about 11% to 13% of the residents in the two slums used leaves for anal cleansing. Observation revealed some evidence of faeces around the household and 65% of the latrines in the slums are soiled, about 36% are infested with flies. The faecal-oral diseases prevalent in the two slums are diarrhoea (43%), typhoid fever (27%) and worm infestation (23%). There is a significant difference in the prevalence of faecal-oral diseases between and within the two slums. The study recommended that the resident in the slums should be sensitized to adopt community-led total sanitation.
Key words: Coronavirus disease, Faecal-oral diseases, Latrine, Open-defecation, Sanitation