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Hygiene, Sanitation, and Water: Forgotten Foundations of Health

Year: 2010

Type: article

Abstract: This is the introductory article in a four-part PLoS Medicine series on water and sanitation.Globally, around 2.4 million deaths (4.2% of all deaths) [1] could be prevented annually if everyone practised appropriate hygiene and had good, reliable sanitation and drinking water.These deaths are mostly of children in developing countries from diarrhoea and subsequent malnutrition, and from other diseases attributable to malnutrition.How is an opportunity to prevent so many deaths (and 6.6% of the global burden of disease in terms of disabilityadjusted life years or DALYs [1]) failing to attract the attention of the international public health community?In this introductory paper to the PLoS Medicine series on water and sanitation, we develop the idea that these basic needs are the forgotten foundations of health.The Policy Forum allows health policy makers around the world to discuss challenges and opportunities for improving health care in their societies.

Source: PLoS Medicine

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000367

Authors: Jamie Bartram, Sandy Cairncross

Institutions: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Language: English

Topic: Child Nutrition and Water Access

Subfield: Nutrition and Dietetics

Field: Nursing

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Clean water and sanitation

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $6,460