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.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has issued a warning about a surge in cases of flea-borne typhus, a bacterial infection transmitted by infected fleas, which are often carried by animals such as rats and cats.

In 2025, 220 cases were identified — the highest-ever recorded — with nearly 9 out of 10 requiring hospitalization.

While the disease needs more awareness and urgent prevention, the flea-borne typhus is treatable with antibiotics, especially when diagnosed early.

“Flea-borne typhus can cause serious illness, but it is preventable with simple steps,” said Muntu Davis, Los Angeles County Health Officer, in an official statement.

“With cases at an all-time high and most requiring hospitalization, it’s critical that people take simple steps now, such as routinely using flea control on their pets, avoiding contact with stray animals, and preventing wildlife from living in or around their homes,” Davis said.

The officials noted that people are often exposed in and around their homes when infected fleas are carried indoors on pets or other animals. Fleas that spread typhus are commonly found on stray animals, rodents, and other wildlife such as opossums.

The statement said that cases have been reported across Los Angeles County, including three localized outbreaks investigated in 2025 in Central Los Angeles City, the City of Santa Monica, and the unincorporated neighborhood of Willowbrook in South LA County.

“This marks a continued rise from 187 cases in 2024 and reflects a sustained upward trend in recent years,” it added.

Also read: More Than 45% Bacteria In Eye Infections Drug-resistant: Study

Flea-borne Typhus: Symptoms and Treatment

Typhus is an acute febrile bacterial infection caused by Rickettsia Typhi bacteria, which is spread by infected fleas.

Because animals carrying infected fleas often appear healthy, people may not realize they are at risk.

Pets that spend time outdoors can carry fleas into homes and expose household members. People can also become infected through bites or feces of infected fleas, lice, or mites.

However, the flea-borne typhus is not spread from person to person.

The three main types—Epidemic, Murine, and Scrub typhus—all share common symptoms like high fever, headache, and rash.

Other symptoms of flea-borne typhus can include

• body aches
• muscle pain,
• nausea,
• vomiting.

"Some patients can develop severe illnesses in which multiple organ systems can be involved and really can result in death as well," said Medical Epidemiologist Dr. Aiman Halai with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, ABC7 reported.

Flea-borne typhus is treatable with antibiotics, and early diagnosis helps prevent severe illness and hospitalization.

The public health department in Los Angeles urged people to:

• Protect pets: Use flea control year-round
• Avoid stray animals: Don’t feed or handle them
• Keep wildlife out: Secure trash and block entry and hiding points.

In a significant move for public health, Telangana has declared cancer as a notifiable disease and launched a cancer registry.

The state reports about 55,000 to 60,000 new cancer cases every year.

A cancer registry would help the government in having accurate data for preparing better plans to deal with the spread of cancer, said the state Health Minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha.

He noted that the state government has expanded healthcare to treat cancer by establishing Day Care Cancer Centers in district headquarters towns. Further, the government is conducting health checks for 46 lakh members of women self-help groups (SHGs).

In addition, the government would also start Regional Cancer Centers and take measures to detect diseases like cancer through AI.

Is Cancer A Notifiable Disease In India?

A notifiable disease means that it is required by law to be reported to government authorities. The mandatory reporting facilitates surveillance, helps control.

Cancer is not currently a centrally mandated notifiable disease across all of India, as the central government focuses on surveillance through the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP). The NCRP was established in 1981 under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

However, over 17 states and UTs in India have declared cancer a notifiable disease to improve data, registry accuracy, and early detection.

Also read: Cancer Is The 10th Leading Cause Of Death In Indian Children: Study

India operates two primary types of cancer registries to monitor the disease burden:

• Population-Based Cancer Registries (PBCRs): These collect data on all new cancer cases and mortality within a specific geographic area. Nearly 40 PBCRs are covering approximately 16.4 percent of India's population.

• Hospital-Based Cancer Registries (HBCRs) record information on patients diagnosed or treated at specific hospitals. There are currently over 269 HBCRs across the country.

“Cancer is emerging as a major public health problem in India. There is a need to collect accurate and robust data on cancer for planning optimal cancer care services across the country,” Dr (Prof) SVS Deo, Chairman – Surgical Oncology, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, told HealthandMe.

The Role Of A Cancer Registry

Dr. Raghav Kesri, Senior Consultant & HOD, Medical Oncology, Yatharth Hospital, Greater Noida, said that cancer registration is significant in determining the types of cancers that are most common in a certain region.

It also allows us to pinpoint the risk factors that might contribute to the increasing number of cancer cases. In India, there are cancer registrations conducted by individual states and the country as a whole.

“These statistics allow us to analyze the trend when coupled with demographics, giving us important information to consider. This is critical knowledge to ensure that we go in the right direction in our health policies, including cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment,” Kesri told HealthandMe.

How To Prevent Cancers

Also read: Are Young Indians At Risk? The Rising Burden Of Early-Onset Cancers

Approximately 60 percent of cancers in India are preventable, including tobacco-related (lung and head and neck cancers), infection-related (stomach, liver, and cervical cancer), and lifestyle-related cancers (breast and colorectal cancers).

Common ways to prevent cancer include:

• Eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables
• Avoiding alcohol
• Quit smoking
• Avoiding tobacco consumption
• Stay physically active
• Maintain healthy weight.

Another alarming study has highlighted the growing risk of drug resistance, this time in pathogens responsible for eye infections.

A team of Indian researchers has detected multidrug-resistant bacteria in more than 45 per cent of isolates from patients with eye infections.

The study, jointly led by CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), also reported widespread resistance to fluoroquinolones — one of the main classes of antibiotics — across all pathogens examined.

Further, the team found samples with vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae strains involved in eye infections.

"These findings are worrying because they can spread their AMR genes to other bacteria, too. Also, these pathogens can infect other parts of our bodies," said Karthik Bharadwaj from CCMB.

The study, published in 'Communications Biology', raise concerns over current treatment approaches in ophthalmic care.

How Was The Study Conducted?

Researchers described the work as one of the most comprehensive genomic analyses of eye pathogens from India to date. CCMB handled genomic and bioinformatics analysis, LVPEI contributed clinical expertise, patient samples, and microbiological characterization, PTI reported.

Whole-genome sequencing helped identify new resistance mechanisms and mutations, offering deeper insight into how these pathogens evolve and spread.

Researchers said the high prevalence of resistance makes such an approach increasingly unreliable.

Also read: Gender-based Violence Surging Global Antimicrobial Resistance, Say Experts

The study underscores the need for microbiology-guided diagnosis and treatment, particularly in severe infections such as microbial keratitis and endophthalmitis.

"While genomic tools are not yet part of routine clinical workflows, the insights generated through this study provide a critical foundation for developing region-specific treatment guidelines and strengthening antimicrobial stewardship efforts in ophthalmology," said Dr Joveeta Joseph, head of microbiology at LVPEI.

Researchers also stressed that eye infections should not be viewed in isolation. The microbes involved often originate from the skin or environment, linking ophthalmic infections to the broader AMR burden.

"This study positions the eye as a valuable site for AMR surveillance in the environment around us," said Dr Prashant Garg, executive chair, LVPEI.

Increasing Drug Resistance In India

A recent Lancet Study reported that drug resistance is driving severe typhoid disease, hospitalization, and death among children under-5s in India.

Another 2024 Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-led study also revealed a significant increase in antibiotic resistance and a decrease in the effectiveness of key antibiotics. This indicates a growing public health threat that requires immediate attention.

It showed E. coli, a common bacterium found in both ICU and outpatient settings, demonstrated a concerning rise in resistance to antibiotics like cefotaxime, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, and levofloxacin.

Also read: Study Links Widespread Use of Antibiotics During COVID To Surge In AMR Cases

Rising Global Antimicrobial Resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when germs develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them.

It is one of the 10 top global health threats, undermining the effectiveness of essential treatments and placing millions at risk of untreatable infections.

As per WHO data, AMR is an urgent global public health threat, killing at least 1.27 million people worldwide and associated with nearly 5 million deaths in 2019.

The WHO, in a 2025 report, noted that one in six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections causing common infections in people worldwide in 2023 were resistant to antibiotic treatments.