Many communities in South Sudan drop faeces in the open, says United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF.
Many families do not have access to toilets or latrines, adds UNICEF Representative in South Sudan, Jonathan Veitch.
He says open defecation is worse in IDPs’ camps where there are limited sanitary facilities.
The UNICEF official says only 13 percent of the population have access to basic sanitation.
5.6 percent households have access to improved water sources, Veitch adds.
Open defecation contributes to diarrhoea and spread of intestinal parasites, which in turn worsens malnutrition and risks of Cholera, he warns.
34 percent of children below the age of 5 years in South Sudan suffer from diarrhoeal diseases every year, UNICEF reports.