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.

ndia’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) today outlined a roadmap to ensure universal access to safe blood in every district by December 2026.

The government’s goal of ensuring timely access to safe blood is in line with the National Blood Policy and was reiterated during a high-level national review meeting with States and Union Territories. The meeting, held via video conference, assessed the preparedness of blood banks and transfusion services across 36 States and UTs in the country.

Current Gaps

The review comprehensively assessed the status of blood transfusion services across the country, covering the five critical stages of service delivery:

• Licensing and Renewal;
• Donor Screening and Blood Collection;
• Testing for Transfusion-Transmitted Infections (TTIs) and referral/linkage of reactive donors;
• Processing, Storage, and Issuance;
• Reporting and Record-keeping.

According to the official statement by the Ministry, approximately 10 per cent of districts in the country currently do not have a blood center.

It also flagged other gaps in digital integration, with a significant number of blood centers yet to be onboarded on eRaktKosh and BBMS. This is limiting real-time visibility and monitoring, revealed the national-level meeting.

"While several states and Union Territories have demonstrated strong performance across multiple indicators, variability persists in areas such as district-level availability of blood centers, licensing compliance, voluntary blood donation rates, referral and linkage of TTI-reactive donors, component separation capacity, and real-time digital reporting," the review found.

Also read: Why Hemophilia Care in India Lags Behind Globally, Expert Reveals: World Hemophilia Day

Access To Safe Blood By 2026 End

Dr Rakesh Gupta, Additional Secretary (Public Health) and Director General, National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), reiterated the national goal of ensuring timely access to safe blood in every district, with zero transfusion-transmitted infections (TTI).

He emphasized "the milestone of establishing at least one blood center in every district by December 2026, in line with the National Blood Policy".

The review also noted encouraging practices in several states and Union Territories, including

• high levels of voluntary blood donation,
• strong testing proficiency under External Quality Assessment Schemes (EQAS)
• Effective referral and linkage mechanisms for TTI- reactive donors.

Priority Actions

The Ministry outlined a set of priority actions, which include:

• strengthening district-level ownership and administrative convergence; ensuring 100 per cent licensing compliance of all operational blood centers;
• enforcing standard operating procedures for blood collection and donation camps;
• scaling up voluntary blood donation through structured outreach and awareness campaigns
• adopting advanced testing protocols such as ELISA and CLIA-based screening
• strengthening referral and linkage systems
• 100 per cent digital integration of blood services through eRaktKosh and BBMS,
• The use of biometric donor identification under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission aims to improve traceability and efficiency.

Advancing Blood Safety In India

According to data from the World Health Organization, India’s annual blood collection increased from 12.6 million units in 2023 to 14.6 million units in 2024. Voluntary blood donation accounted for 74.55 per cent of total collections, reflecting strong public participation and the impact of effective awareness campaigns.

In 2025, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel told the Parliament that the country has made significant strides in strengthening blood transfusion services and has ensured its safety and availability.

Patel said that the country has established a multi-tiered system to ensure safe and efficient blood transfusion services. These include measures such as mandatory testing for five TTIs, expansion of Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT), proposed capital blood centers, National External Quality Assessment (EQA) program expansion, and transition to a community-based approach.

While the government has placed a complete ban on professional blood donation, every unit of collected blood undergoes mandatory testing for five transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs) — HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Syphilis, and Malaria, Patel said.

Even as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert for heatwave and rising temperature in Delhi, the state government issued guidelines for all schools, focusing on hydration and safety measures.

The IMD has forecast heatwave conditions at isolated places in Delhi from today, with maximum temperatures expected to climb between 41 °C and 44 °C through April 24.

The guidelines issued by the Directorate of Education (National Capital Territory of Delhi) are applied to all government-aided and private unaided recognized schools. The guidelines call for:

Outdoor Assemblies: Outdoor assemblies are to be curtailed or conducted in shaded/indoor areas with minimal duration. No open-air classes are to be conducted.

Water Bell Initiative: Schools shall implement a "Water Bell" system, whereby a bell is rung at regular intervals (every 45-60 minutes), reminding students to drink water to prevent dehydration.

Display of IEC Material: IEC (Information, Education and Communication) material issued by the Health Department, Government of NCT of Delhi, on heat wave precautions shall be prominently displayed at visible locations in schools, including notice boards, corridors, and classrooms.

Awareness Sessions: Schools shall conduct short awareness sessions/briefings for students during class hours/assembly to educate them about preventive measures, the importance of hydration, and the identification of symptoms of heat-related illnesses. Immediate first aid and medical attention must be ensured wherever required.

Buddy System: Establishing a buddy system wherein each student may be paired up with another student during school hours to monitor and take care of each other's physical well-being.

Outdoor Activities: It must be ensured that students avoid outdoor physical activities.

Regular Advisory Updates: Class teachers shall share advisories of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) with parents through their respective class-specific WhatsApp groups, ensuring regular guidance and awareness regarding heat safety measures. Schools shall share daily heat wave forecasts and alerts with students through prayer time/assembly and notice boards to ensure timely awareness and necessary precautions.

Appropriate Clothing and Personal Hygiene: Parents are advised to ensure that their wards come to school dressed in light, breathable cotton clothing. They should also reinforce the importance of personal hygiene, including daily bathing, to help children stay fresh and reduce the impact of heat.

The DoE also directed each school to designate nodal officers who will be responsible for the implementation of monitoring the water bell initiative, awareness sessions, and display of IEC materials.

Heat-Related Illnesses: Symptoms And First Aid Measures

The DoE noted that the symptoms of heat-related illnesses include:

• Nausea and increased sweating
• Vomiting
• Acts or talks confused
• Muscle cramps
• Fainting,
• Weakness,
• Dizziness
• Body temperature rises to 40.5°C (105°F) or higher

First aid measures to follow if you feel dizzy or uneasy

• Drink water to rehydrate
• Move to a cooler place immediately
• Loosen clothes if possible
• Sponge with water
• If unconscious, do not force-feed or give water
• If symptoms persist, immediately visit the nearest health centre or call an ambulance.

Heatwave In India: Which States Are On Alert?

Beyond Delhi, a heatwave alert has been issued for:

• East Uttar Pradesh from April 21 to 25.
• Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and West Uttar Pradesh from April 22 to 25,
• Odisha and Rajasthan between April 23 and 25.
• Gangetic West Bengal and Bihar for April 21 and 22,
• Vidarbha from April 24 to 26.

The vaccine-preventable measles is surging worldwide, especially in the US. The outbreaks that began in Texas last year are now spreading to several other states, with Utah being the new center of the highly contagious disease.

The US, which eliminated measles in 2000, is also at great risk of losing its status, as the CDC reported 1,748 confirmed cases across 33 jurisdictions between January 1 and April 16, 2026. Over 94 per cent of these cases are linked to ongoing outbreaks, the CDC said.

While the best way to prevent infection remains the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, anti-vaxxers, goaded by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have stayed away from the vaccine.

However, watching an outbreak rip through their state has made the deadly realities of the disease more concrete.

Amid the soaring cases, Bloomberg News reported a quiet change among anti-vaxxers, as they have started to question their own deeply held beliefs and the conspiracy theories that fueled them.

Many of them have taken the MMR vaccination and then also posted emotional TikTok videos aimed at the anti-vax crowd, saying, “You can change your mind”.

Read More: Measles Again On The Rise Globally: Is India At Risk?

Measles: Rise In MMR Vaccine Uptake

In several measles hotspots, there has been an uptake in the MMR shot that is slowing down the outbreaks, the report said.

The health department in South Carolina saw a nearly 170 per cent increase in MMR immunizations at free clinics in January from the year prior and is close to declaring its outbreak over.

MMR vaccines jumped 15 per cent in Texas last year before the state declared its outbreak over in August. Utah’s health department has also recorded a bump in immunizations since last summer, a hopeful sign for the country’s most active current outbreak.

The report cited that doctors are playing a key role in trying to build trust with no pressure or judgment. They are easing the anti-vaxxers' concerns and giving them the crucial assurance that their choice is deeply personal and private.

“For whatever reason, they have different information,” Stuart Simko, a pediatrician in Greer, South Carolina, was quoted as saying.

“You don't have to tell anybody you gave your child any sort of vaccine,” Simko added.

Lisa Carroll, a physician in South Carolina and professor at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, helps run a weekly outreach program at a local food pantry where she’s increasingly encountered more families asking about the MMR. Many of them aren’t explicitly anti-vaccine; they just don’t know much about the shot or where to get it, she said. It was just easier for some of them to sign an exemption form, the report said.

In these cases, education on the true risk and safety of the MMR has led to that change of mindset, Carroll said.

How Effective Is the Measles Vaccine? Who Needs A Booster Shot?

Also read: Vaccinated And Still Worried? Truth About Measles Vaccine Safety And Effectiveness

One dose of the MMR vaccine gives about 95 per cent protection against measles. If a second dose is given—usually between 4 and 6 years old—protection shoots up to about 99 per cent.

The vaccine is also 99 per cent effective against rubella and 88 per cent against mumps after the second dose. This is the reason why the two-dose schedule is the international norm. Indeed, measles vaccination alone is responsible for more than 60 per cent of all childhood lives saved by vaccines worldwide over the past 50 years.

In general, a measles vaccine booster may be advisable for:

• Children who received only one dose of the MMR vaccine
• Adults who were vaccinated with the inactivated version between 1963 and 1967
• High-risk adults, such as healthcare workers or international travellers
• Anyone whose blood test shows a lack of immunity.