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Lack of access to safe water, poor sanitation killing 361,000 children worldwide each year


About 361,000 children under 5 years of age die each year due to diarrhea caused by poor sanitation and lack of access to safe, readily available water at home, according to a new report by the World Health Organization and UNICEF.

The Joint Monitoring Program report – Progress on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene: 2017 update and Sustainable Development Global baselines – also revealed that more than 2 billion people worldwide lack access to safe, readily available water at home and about 4.5 billion lack safely managed sanitation.

Although billions of people have gained access to basic drinking water and sanitation services since 2000, these services do not necessarily provide safe water and sanitation, according to a WHO news release.

It added that many homes, healthcare facilities and schools also still lack soap and water for handwashing. This puts the health of all people – but especially young children – at risk for diseases, such as diarrhea.

As a result, every year, 361 000 children under 5 years of age die due to diarrhea. Poor sanitation and contaminated water are also linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A, and typhoid.

“Safe water, sanitation and hygiene at home should not be a privilege of only those who are rich or live in urban centers,” says Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “These are some of the most basic requirements for human health, and all countries have a responsibility to ensure that everyone can access them.”

UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said, “Safe water, effective sanitation and hygiene are critical to the health of every child and every community – and thus are essential to building stronger, healthier, and more equitable societies. As we improve these services in the most disadvantaged communities and for the most disadvantaged children today, we give them a fairer chance at a better tomorrow.”

SIGNIFICANT INEQUALITIES PERSIST

In order to decrease global inequalities, the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for ending open defecation and achieving universal access to basic services by 2030.

Of the 2.1 billion people who do not have safely managed water, 844 million do not have even a basic drinking water service. This includes 263 million people who have to spend over 30 minutes per trip collecting water from sources outside the home, and 159 million who still drink untreated water from surface water sources, such as streams or lakes.

In 90 countries, progress towards basic sanitation is too slow, meaning they will not reach universal coverage by 2030.

Of the 4.5 billion people who do not have safely managed sanitation, 2.3 billion still do not have basic sanitation services. This includes 600 million people who share a toilet or latrine with other households, and 892 million people – mostly in rural areas – who defecate in the open. Due to population growth, open defecation is increasing in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania.

Good hygiene is one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent the spread of disease. For the first time, the SDGs are monitoring the percentage of people who have facilities to wash their hands at home with soap and water. According to the new report, access to water and soap for handwashing varies immensely in the 70 countries with available data, from 15 per cent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa to 76 per cent in western Asia and northern Africa.


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