MWANZA, June 23 -- RECENTLY in Mwanza City, a free two-day urinary tract screening event stirred up controversy. The headline worry? Do people really get Urinary Tract Infection (UTIs) just from sharing latrine pits?

The reply is no, they dont, unless the latrines are downright germ havens. At the screening, organised by the regional office, health experts from the Tanzania Association of Urological Surgeons (TAUS) were quick to clear the air (and perhaps clean up a few misunderstandings).

Professor Chalonde Yongolo as TAUSs top urology guru, made it crystal clear: “You can share a latrine pit with the entire staff of an institution and none of you will get a urinary tract infection, so long as basic hygiene is maintained.” ...