In celebration of World Toilet Day 2022 with the theme “Pangalagaan ang Kalusugan, Sanitasyon ay Pahalagahan,” the City Health Office (CHO) in coordination with the Provincial Health Office (PHO) declares barangay five as the first in the city to achieve Zero-Open Defecation Status on November 21, 2022, in Barangay 5, Poblacion, Malaybalay City.

The said barangay successfully achieved Zero Defecation (ZOD) Status at Level III, or scaling up, which means all toilets were sealed and no sharing was allowed after a house-to-house inspection conducted by the provincial/city verification team.

The campaign aims to ensure that there will be no defecation in open surroundings to prevent the contamination of water sources, which could result in many diseases such as typhoid, hepatitis, diarrhea, amoebiasis, and other environmental and health issues.

With this, DOH continues to promote the Zero Open Defecation (ZOD) Program advocacy and health education campaign in collaboration with government agencies, local government units, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.

Report: CHO-NADA