Environmental health
A study on a community-based intervention was undertaken in the South Fore area of the Okapa District, investigating the effect of the establishment of village water supplies. Despite their generally acknowledged importance, water supplies provided to villages in Papua New Guinea have in many cases been inappropriate, and maintenance has not been adequately considered. Furthermore, the key issue is often not so much the introduction of a more convenient water supply but the use of such water in more frequent washing of people, clothing and bedding. Social and behavioural aspects have been seriously neglected. Recommendations on rural water supplies arising from a workshop organized by the Institute formed the basis of a national policy on rural water supplies. However, little progress has been made in the provision of appropriate water supplies and sanitation to rural communities and the related health education which is necessary.
A project on the effects of deforestation on health, using malaria, arbovirus infections and sexually transmitted diseases as sentinel diseases and changes in mammals, birds, moths and mosquitoes as indices of environmental disturbance, was undertaken in the Hawain area of East Sepik Province. In another area, developing sustainable uses for forest products has been part of a study among the Hagahai people promoting their health and development.
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