ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the current sanitary situation of the rural household latrine and the effects of decontamination of the feces in some epidemic areas of schistosome in Hubei province.Methods Six villages(4 villages with the sanitary latrines,2 villages with the non-sanitary latrines) were chosen for the investigation and 30 latrines were selected randomly in each village in September of 2007.The structure of the latrine and the situation of the faecal treatment were investigated by questionnaires.At the same time,the feces samples were collected and detected according to the related sanitary standards.Results The rate of the sanitary latrines without maggots,pupas and flies was 95%,while the rate of the non-sanitary latrines with the same situation was 33.33%.After non-hazardous treatment in the three-case-cesspool and the firedamp latrines,the qualified rates of the roundworm eggs were 95.6% and 98.6% respectively;the qualified rates of fecal coliform were both 100%;no schistosome eggs,the alive schistosome eggs and the alive roundworm eggs were detected.The morbidity rate of schistosomiasis of the villages with the sanitary latrines was 43.7%,lower than those with the non-sanitary latrines.Conclusion The faecal treatment of the rural household latrine in epidemic areas of schistosome can improve the sanitation and kill the pathogens in faeces effectively,and also can decrease the morbidity rate of schistosomiasis obviously.