Emerging issues in water and infectious disease

Overview

New diseases, including water-related diseases, periodically "emerge" either because they are newly recognized or because their importance increases. This may be due to the micro-organisms themselves evolving, to changes in the way we manage water resources and supplies; changes in the tools and methods used to study the organisms and the health effects they cause; or due to changes in the human population itself.

WHO, USEPA and other agencies collaborate to address some of these challenges through an initiative. The initiative leads to development and publication of state-of-the-art reviews based on wide international expert consultations.