By Gilbert Kidimu

TAXIS, buses, boda bodas and trains carry everyone, from babies to the old, the healthy and sick and the blue-collar to the white-collar employees. But do you have an idea what fellow passengers have touched or what disease they are carrying?

Many people use public transport daily, but how many times have you seen a passenger decline to board a taxi on grounds that it is dirty? How often do you hear people wishing they owned cars because taxis are filthy?

Experts warn on the dangers
Mohammed Kirumira, the Kampala City Council health inspector, says taxis are not conducive for public transportation since they are not properly designed for cleaning. “The seats behind are not supposed to be there. As a result, there is hardly any space for cleaning. Respiratory infections are thus bound to occur. Also diseases like mumps, TB and cough, are easily spread in overpacked vehicles,” he says.

Health experts say infectious diseases can easily be spread in taxis because they are crowded with people, some of whom may be ill. The situation is worsened by taxis’ hard-to-open windows, hence poor ventilation.

Sheila Naturinda who uses taxis regularly, says most taxis are rarely disinfected. Most of the seats have a coat of dirt. It is common to see someone shaking hands or coughing without covering the mouth. Dr. Rod Moser says when someone coughs or sneezes without covering the mouth, he or she lets out fresh micro-organisms.

Kirumira says there are four major types of germs — bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa which can invade plants, animals and people.

He adds that ringworms can also be contracted from taxi seats or helmets. “Helmets are a quick way to contract skin infections like ring worms as people sweat and leave drops of their dirt in the helmet.”

But how many boda boda riders take the initiative to clean their helmets? Women with chemically-treated hair and people who do not wash their hair regularly share these helmets, making the risk of passing on infection higher.

Kirumira says public transport, especially taxis, can be dangerous in case of a fire outbreak due to congestion. “Most of the old taxis have sharp metals which can tear your clothes and transmit tetanus germs if one was pierced,” he says.

Experts’ recommendations
Kirumira says extra seats should be removed from taxis to avoid overcrowding.

Shake hands only if you must and be careful what you do afterwards.

Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth with bare hands. You might transmit infections.

Wash your hands before and after eating or visiting a toilet.

Cover your mouth with a handkerchief when you cough or sneeze.

If you are ill, stay home and seek medical help.

Cover your head with a scarf before wearing a helmet.

Taxi operators should be encouraged to spray disinfectants to get rid of bedbugs, mosquitoes and other bacteria.

Avoid contact with people infected with ringworm.

Keep germ blister lotions in your handbag or workplace.

Seek medical treatment if you have a skin disease such as ringworm and avoid close contact with others until treatment has been completed.

Avoid self-medication for skin infections

What UTODA says
John Ndyomugyenyi, the national chairman of the Uganda Taxi Operators’ and Drivers Association (UTODA), says: “NEMA banned smoking in taxis and asked drivers to improve their hygiene. We are working with the Police to wipe out consumption of marijuana and other drugs.”

He advises passengers to write down number plates of taxis that do not adhere to the standards. “All untidy vehicles and those whose windows cannot open should be reported to UTODA. In three months’ time, this situation will have calm down.”

Ndyomugyenyi says new vehicles are being imported, so owners of old taxis will have to pull out if they cannot repair them.