World Scene: Africa

UN calls for more toilet access

The UN agencies for world health and children are teaming up to tackle a new problem: a global lack of toilets. The agencies say that more than six in 10 Africans lack access to a proper toilet, leaving them exposed to bacteria, viruses and parasites found in human waste. Toilets are essential because they separate excreta from human contact, preventing the contamination of water, soil and food and the spread of diarrhea, the second biggest killer of children in poor countries.