World health organization

10 facts on sanitation

A girl washing hands at a wash basin.
WHO/Pierre Virot

Hygiene education and promotion of hand washing are simple, cost-effective measures that can reduce diarrhoea cases by up to 45%. Even when ideal sanitation is not available, instituting good hygiene practices in communities will lead to better health. Proper hygiene goes hand-in-hand with the use of improved facilities to prevent disease.

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