Environmental Health

Nebiyou Tafesse (PhD Candidate in Water and

Public Health)

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Course outline for MPH students

 Course title: Environmental Health

 COURSE Code: COMH302
 Credit Hrs: 2hr.

 Academic year: 2022

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COURSE OBJECTIVES
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
 Describe the role of environmental health in health promotion and
disease prevention
 Explain Basic Environmental Health Problems: Ethiopian Vs Global
contexts
 Understand and Identify the causes and potential health risks related
to Environmental Health
 Identify different human activities that affect the environment and
health
 Plan, implement and evaluate major components of environmental
health programs
 provide leadership and technical expertise in the development of
long-range planning to protect and improve the public's health
 Identify different national and international environmental health
laws and guidelines

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Module content:
 I. Introduction

◦ Definition of terms

◦ Historical backgrounds of EH

◦ Basic concepts and definitions

◦ Concern on environmental health

◦ Components of environmental health

◦ Environmental health development in Ethiopia

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II. Man-environment Interaction

◦ Definition of terms

◦ Describe the various facets of human-environment

interaction

◦ Describe the future threats to environment

◦ Environmental Hazards and their effects

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III. Provision of Safe and Adequate Water Supply

 Definition of terms
 Importance of water
 Occurrence of water
 Impurities of water
 Major sources of water
 Treatment of water
 Water quality surveillance
 Indicators of provision of safe water suppply

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IV. Food hygiene: HACCP
 Definition and concept of food hygiene
 Public Health importance
 Food safety interventions
 Tools to monitor and evaluate food hygiene

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V. Waste Management

A. Human waste disposal

◦ Definition of terms
◦ Health importance of excreta
◦ Proper disposal methods of excreta

B. Liquid waste disposal

◦ Definition of terms
◦ Characteristics of sewage
◦ Treatment methods
◦ Final disposal methods

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V. Waste Management
C. Solid waste disposal
◦ Definition of terms
◦ Classification by source and characteristics
◦ Importance
◦ Processing of wastes
◦ Proper disposal methods
D. Hazards and infectious waste
◦ definition of terms
◦ Characteristics of hazards and infectious wastes
◦ control of hazards and infectious wastes

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VI. Housing and Institutional Health

 Definition of terms
 Public health importance
 Good house keeping principles
 Institutions related to public health

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VII. Environmental Impact Assessment
 Definition of EIA
 The relevance of EIA in public health
  Methods of EIA
  Regulatory documents on EIA (Local context)
  Roles in EIA practicing

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VIII. Safe Working Environment / Industrial
hygiene
 Definition of terms
 Components of safe working environment
 Occupational health hazards
 Occupational hygiene management

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IX. National and International Environmental Laws

 National environmental health laws

 International water and climate conventions

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Method of evaluation
 Term paper presentation (30%)
1. Water, sanitation and hygiene effects on childhood stunting.
2. Sanitary conditions of mass catering establishments in Ethiopia
3. Health extension program : Environmental health packages in Ethiopia
4. Environmental Pollution and prevention (Global environmental issue)
5. Global warming
6. Impact of Water, sanitation and hygiene on under five diarrheal
disease.
7. The linkage between WASH and Nutrition
8. CLTS : scaling up tool (concept and practice )
 Class participation and attendance (10%)
 Final exam(60%)

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Reference
 Salvato JA. Environmental engineering and sanitation. 3rd edition. New
York: John Wiley & Sons, 1982.
 Region 14 Administration Health Bureau, Environmental health
Department. A comprehensive overview on Addis Ababa Municipality
solid waste management and its environmental health inspection
services. Addis Ababa, August, 1997.
 Teka G-E. Food Hygiene; Principles and methods of food borne
diseases control with special emphasis to Ethiopia. Addis Ababa: Addis
Ababa University press, 1997.
 FAO/WHO. Safe food for all: 3rd World Congress on food infections
and intoxications, volume I, II, II. Berlin, 1992.
 Tartako IJ, Vorperain JH. Food borne and waterborne diseases: their
epidemiologic characteristics. Avi Publishing Company, Inc., Westport,
Connecticut, 1981.
 WHO. Health hazards of the human environment. WHO, Geneva, 1972.
 Moeller DW. Environmental Health, revised edition. Cambrdge,
Harvard University Press, 2012
 Alcock PA. Food hygiene manual. Lewis & Co. Ltd. London, 1980.

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