Water, sanitation and hygiene
Infectious diarrhoea is the largest water-related contributor to global disease burden. Infectious diarrhoea commonly includes cholera, salmonellosis, shigellosis, amoebiasis, and other protozoal and viral intestinal diseases. In addition, schistosomiasis, trachoma, ascariasis, trichuriasis, hookworm and other diseases are also related to water, sanitation and hygiene risk factors.
Global estimates are that about 1.7 million people die every year from diarrhoeal diseases (including cholera), and 90% are children under 5, mostly in developing countries. Eighty-eight per cent of cases of diarrhoeal diseases worldwide are attributable to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene. Globally, improving water, sanitation and hygiene has the potential to prevent at least 9.1% of the disease burden (in disability-adjusted life years or DALYs, a weighted measure of deaths and disability) or 6.3% of all deaths. Children, particularly those in developing countries, suffer a disportionate share of this burden, as the fraction of total deaths or DALYs attributable to unsafe water. inadequate sanitation or insufficient hygiene is more than 20% in children up to 14 years of age.
Contribution of unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene to disease burden. Current global estimates of disease burden due to diarrhoea may underestimate the importance of this illness in some WPR countries. Concern arises over what is not known about morbidity and mortality due to diarrhoea in such countries. Where diarrhoea statistics are not based on reliable surveys, the burden of disease attributable to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene cannot be accurately estimated. This lack of information on diarrhoea statistics on a country by country basis hampers the calculation of good regional estimates as well. In order to be able to estimate the burden of disease attributable to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene in the countries of the Region, specific research is needed at country level to generate such information.
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Fact sheets
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News and press releases
23 March 2010
Health risks for women highlighted on World Water Day
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03 November 2008
Korean cities win awards for their public toilets
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26 May 2008
WHO receives US$1.3 million for urgent medical aid to China
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18 May 2008
Disease outbreak prevention crucial in China earthquake aftermath
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16 May 2008
Emergency and humanitarian action in the wake of a natural disaster
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Relevant publications and documents
Second East Asia Ministerial Conference on Sanitation and Hygiene (EASAN-2)
The Second East Asia Ministerial Conference on Sanitation and Hygiene (EASAN-2) was held in Manila, Philippines from 27 to 29 January 2010. The conference was attended by more than 160 participants, including high-level delegates from 13 East Asian countries. Donors, nongovernmental organizations, members of the media, private sector professionals and other resource people also attended.
Sanitation and Hygiene in East Asia
About 800 million people in East Asia today still lack access to improved sanitation facilities. This represents almost 40% of East Asia's population, which is devoid of this basic services and therefore at risk to sanitation-related diseases. This marginalized segment of the population, usually the poor living in rural areas and densely populated urban slums, is denied the fundamental human right of enjoying good health, dignity and fair opportunities for social and economic development.
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Upcoming meetings and events
No meeting/event planned at this time.