Every year, World Toilet Day is observed to raise awareness about the global sanitation crisis and encourage action to solve it. The goal set by the United Nation is to achieve safe toilets for all by 2023, as a part of their Sustainable Development Goals.

The UN also states that 3.5 billion people live without proper sanitation and many children also lose their lives due to poor sanitation and unsafe water. This is why World Toilet Day is observed to raise awareness on this issue.

Theme

This year, the theme for World Toilet Day 2024 is "Toilets - A Place for Peace'. This focuses on the growing threat to sanitation that is caused by conflict, climate change, disaster and neglect. When there is a threat to using toilets, it can lead to many health risks.

Not using toilets for too long may lead to Urinary Tract Infection or UTI. For many who do not have access to clean toilets do not drink enough liquid or hold pee for too long. Doctors suggest that holding in pee for too long can cause bacteria to multiply and lead to UTI. By not drinking enough water, your bladder fails to tell the body to pee often, and can cause the bacteria to spread through the urinary tract, which can lead to infection.

Symptoms of UTI:

• Burning or stinging feeling while urinating
• Pain in pelvis or lower abdomen
• Constant urge to empty the bladder
• Strong or foul smelling urine
• Consistently dark urine
• Blood in urine

Holding in pee for too long can also cause your bladder to stretch, making it difficult or even impossible for the bladder to contract and release pee normally. It can also damage your pelvic floor muscles or could lead to kidney stones.

World Toilet Day History And Significance

To prevent such conditions, it is important that everyone has access to clean and safe toilets. In terms of history, the day was established in 2001, by the World Toilet Organization (WTO), which was founded by Jack Sim. However, it was officially recognised by the UN in 2013. The Government of Singapore worked with WTO to create the first UN resolution called Sanitation for All.

India too promotes safe and hygiene toilet through its Swachh Bharat Yojna.

Amid an expanding outbreak, Florida has confirmed its first dengue-related death in the Tampa Bay region. It is the first death due to dengue in Tampa Bay in almost a century, while Florida health officials have confirmed this as the state’s first dengue-related death of 2026.

The latest reports show the newest figures that indicate 152 locally acquired dengue cases as of September 12, with 134 in Hillsborough County.

First Dengue-Related Death In Florida

Florida’s dengue outbreak has turned deadly as with health officials have confirmed the state’s first dengue-related death of 2026.

The Florida Department of Health confirmed the death on September 18. The victim was an 80-year-old Hillsborough County woman who died on September 4. Her death marks the first known dengue-related fatality in the Tampa Bay region in nearly a century.

The latest state data, covering cases through September 12, show 152 locally acquired dengue infections across Florida this year, including 134 in Hillsborough County.

That means nearly 90% of the state's locally acquired cases have been concentrated in the county, which has emerged as the epicentre of the outbreak.

“This is wildly unusual for us,” Chris Wilkerson, a spokesperson for Hillsborough County, said.

Also read: QDENGA: India’s First Approved Dengue Vaccine May Hit Shelves In 2027; How Effective Is It?

Dengue Outbreak In Florida

Dengue is a viral infection transmitted mainly by infected Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. These mosquitoes are established in Florida and can spread the virus after biting an infected person.

Majority of the dengue infections reported in the continental US were linked with international travel. But Florida has increasingly recorded locally acquired infections, meaning people contracted the virus without travelling to a dengue-endemic country.

The state reported its largest number of locally acquired dengue infections in 2023, at nearly 200. With 152 cases already recorded this year, 2026 has become the state's second-highest year for locally acquired infections.

Also read: Delhi Dengue Cases Rise In September: Is Weather Fueling The Surge?

How Can Dengue Become Life-Threatening?

Most people infected with dengue either have no symptoms or develop a relatively short-lived illness with fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, nausea and rash. But a small number of people can develop severe dengue, particularly around the time the fever begins to subside.

Warning signs include severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, bleeding or unusual bruising, difficulty breathing, extreme weakness and restlessness.

Severe dengue may also cause plasma leakage, shock, severe bleeding and organ damage, which can become fatal without prompt medical care.

In the Florida woman's case, her death certificate listed dengue infection, septic shock and multi-organ failure as causes, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Florida Outbreak Is Raising Concern

Hillsborough County normally sees only a handful of dengue cases, making the current cluster seems to be highly unusual. Mosquito-control teams have increased aerial and ground surveillance and spraying, inspecting properties for stagnant water where mosquitoes can breed.

Recent mosquito sampling has not detected dengue virus in some of the latest collections, which officials say could indicate that transmission is beginning to decline. But experts caution that the mosquitoes capable of spreading dengue may still remain in Florida.

Michael von Fricken, an associate professor of environmental and global health at the University of Florida, said the state's recurring mosquito population means dengue may become “somewhat the new normal.”

Florida health officials are urging residents to use mosquito repellent, wearing long sleeves and trousers, and removing stagnant water from around homes.

In the trailer for the eighth season of The Kardashians, Kim Kardashian revealed that she has been diagnosed with esophagitis, a condition involving inflammation and irritation of the esophagus. The conversation sparked memories of her father Robert Kardashian, who died of esophageal cancer in 2003.

In the trailer, someone asks her, “Didn't your father ... isn't it what he died of?” to which she responds, “Yeah.”

Her mother, Kris Jenner, is also seen becoming emotional. Kardashian is shown in a hospital bed, although the trailer does not reveal the exact cause or severity of her esophagitis or any procedure she may have undergone.

But it is important to clarify that esophagitis and esophageal cancer are two different conditions.

What Is Esophagitis?

Esophagitis is a condition in which the lining of the esophagus, the tube that carries food and liquids from the mouth to the stomach, becomes inflamed.

There are several possible causes for the inflammation of the esophagus. The most common is gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a condition in which stomach acid flows back into the esophagus repeatedly. Other causes include certain medications, infections and allergic or conditions related to immune system.

Symptoms can include heartburn, chest pain, painful or difficult swallowing, coughing, hoarseness and a sore throat.

The treatment for esophagitis depends on what is causing the inflammation and can include medicines that reduce stomach acid, treatment for an infection or changes to diet and other habits. The condition is often manageable with treatment.

Also read: Bruce Willis’ Dementia Diagnosis Left Wife Emma Heming Feeling ‘Lost’ And ‘Isolated’ - What Are The Signs Of Caregivers Burnout?

Does Esophagitis Increase Cancer Risk?

Esophagitis itself does not mean a person will develop esophageal cancer. The concern refers to when chronic acid reflux continues for years. Repeated exposure to stomach acid can damage the esophageal lining and, in some people, lead to Barrett's esophagus.

Barrett's esophagus involves changes in the cells lining the lower esophagus and is associated with an increased risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma, one of the major types of esophageal cancer. However, most people with Barrett's esophagus do not develop cancer.

Rather, in some people, long-standing reflux can cause chronic damage, which can lead to Barrett's esophagus, which in turn is associated with a higher cancer risk.

Also read: Busy Philipps Reveals She Had Surgery To Remove A Rare Brain Tumour: What Is Oligodendroglioma?

Kim Kardashian’s Family History

According to reports, Kim Kardashian's father Robert Kardashian died from esophageal cancer in September 2003 at the age of 59, only about two months after his diagnosis. This family history makes Kim's diagnosis particularly significant.

However, there is currently no public information showing that her esophagitis is hereditary or that it is connected to the cancer her father had. Her diagnosis also does not establish that she has Barrett's esophagus or esophageal cancer. The trailer does not disclose those details.

The Kardashian family has nevertheless remained involved in awareness about esophageal health since Robert's death. In 2019, the family helped establish the Robert G. Kardashian Center for Esophageal Health at UCLA, dedicated to research, treatment and education about diseases of the esophagus.

When Should Esophageal Symptoms Be Checked?

Persistent difficulty swallowing, painful swallowing, unexplained weight loss, recurrent vomiting, bleeding or discomfort in chest should not simply be dismissed as normal acidity.

Doctors may use tests such as an upper endoscopy to examine the esophagus and determine whether inflammation, structural changes or other abnormalities are present. Persistent inflammation, particularly when driven by untreated chronic reflux, can sometimes signal a problem that needs medical evaluation and follow-up.

A new study has found a way to identify which younger adults are most likely to develop severe liver damage decades earlier than expected, by looking at their genetics and whether they have type 2 diabetes. The finding could allow doctors to catch dangerous liver disease, and even begin cancer screening, years before symptoms would otherwise appear.

Doctors have long known that fatty liver disease can quietly damage the liver over many years. But this research shows that some people develop the most serious stage of this damage, cirrhosis, much earlier than expected, sometimes before they even turn 50. What makes this study significant is that it identifies exactly why: specific genetic factors combined with type 2 diabetes appear to accelerate the disease in these younger patients.

Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine carried out the study, and their findings were published on September 16 in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. It is being described as the first study to properly define what early-onset cirrhosis from fatty liver disease actually looks like, and what sets these patients apart.

What the Researchers Found

The condition in question is called MASLD, short for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. Most people know it simply as fatty liver disease. It develops when fat builds up in the liver, and over time, this can lead to scarring. In its most advanced form, that scarring becomes cirrhosis, a stage where liver damage is severe and often permanent.

To understand why some people reach this stage so early, the researchers studied close to 2,400 adults with confirmed cases of MASLD. All of them were part of a larger research group called the NASH Clinical Research Network. Among these patients, 25 percent who had cirrhosis had developed it before the age of 50.

The key finding is that these younger patients were not simply following the same disease path as older patients, only faster. Instead, two specific factors set them apart: inherited genetic risk and type 2 diabetes. This matters because it gives doctors something concrete to check for, rather than simply waiting to see who develops symptoms.

Rohit Loomba, the senior author of the study and a liver specialist at UC San Diego Health, explained that younger adults with cirrhosis appear to have a distinct mix of genetic and metabolic risk factors that speed up the disease. "Cirrhosis is frequently silent until serious complications develop," he said. "These results suggest that younger adults with type 2 diabetes, obesity or elevated genetic risk may benefit from more proactive liver assessment."

Also read: High Sugar, Salt Or Fat? India May Mandate Red Hexagon Labels On Food Packs

A Gap in Current Screening

This is where the study's findings become especially useful. Many of the standard tools used to assess liver fibrosis take a patient's age into account, which sounds reasonable on the surface but can actually work against younger patients who are already at risk.

The study found that nearly a third of the people with early-onset cirrhosis would not have been flagged as high risk under the usual screening methods. In other words, the tools meant to catch liver damage early are, in some cases, missing it entirely in younger adults, precisely the group this study identifies as vulnerable.

"As current screening tools incorporate age, they miss almost a third of patients with early-onset MASLD cirrhosis," said Veeral Ajmera, MD, first author of the study, hepatologist at UC San Diego Health, and associate professor of medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine. "This study helps us identify which patients are at greatest risk and need a more accurate assessment of their liver disease."

Also read: Sugar-Free Sweetener Used In Candies May Have A Harmful Metabolic Effect On Liver: Is Sorbitol Really Healthy?

Why This Matters Going Forward

The value of identifying these patients early goes beyond liver health alone. Cirrhosis is one of the biggest known risk factors for liver cancer, so flagging high-risk individuals sooner, based on their genetics and diabetes status rather than their age, could allow doctors to begin cancer screening and treatment much earlier than they otherwise would.

With rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes continuing to climb across the world, researchers expect fatty liver disease to become even more common in the years ahead. Because of this, the study believes that younger adults who have diabetes, obesity, or a higher genetic risk may benefit from more careful and more frequent liver evaluations, rather than waiting for age-based warning signs that may never appear in time.