A new global report released today by WHO shows that each year more than 20, 000 people die in Viet Nam because of poor water, sanitation and hygiene (WHS).
Of those deaths, almost half can be attributed to diarrhoeal diseases.
“Lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene remains an urgent health issues,” said Dr. Jean-Marc Olivé, WHO Representative in Vietnam.
“The report highlights that problems of inferior WHS disproportionately affects the world's poorest countries.
“In developed countries, unsafe water causes less than one percent of deaths. In developing countries, the toll is nearly 10 times higher on average,” he said.
The report called Safer Water for Better Health shows that 10% of the global disease burden could be prevented by improvements to drinking-water, sanitation, hygiene.
Safer water for better health is the first-ever report depicting country-by-country estimates of the burden of disease due to water, sanitation and hygiene. It highlights how much disease could be prevented through increased access to safe water and better hygiene.
This comprehensive overview provides arguments for fully integrating water, sanitation and hygiene in countries' disease reduction strategies -- a pre-requisite to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
It also provides the basis for action by the health sector and governments.
“High tech solutions are not necessarily the best. Simple latrines combined with frequent hand washing with soap can be very effective in reducing infections such as diarrhoea, cholera and parasitic diseases,” Dr Olivé said.
“Another example could be in improvements in drinking-water quality. When people can access clean water close to, or in, their homes there are significant health benefits,” he said.
Water management interventions for malaria and dengue control can also contribute to the reduction of reliance on chemical vector control interventions.
Most notably the report shows that the cost needed to improving water supply and sanitation will lead to benefits that can be valued at eight times the initial investment.
“These costs will be returned through better school attendance, more days at work and significantly reduced costs to hospitals and clinics – it is an investment in Viet Nam’s future,” Dr Olivé said.
FACT SHEET – water supply, sanitation and hygiene
- Almost one tenth of the global burden of disease could be prevented by improving water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WSH)
Note: The top disease burdens related to drinking-water, sanitation, hygiene and water resource management with highest potential of preventability include:
- In the 32 worst-affected countries, more than 15% of the burden could be averted through safer WSH
- Reducing child mortality in a sustained manner demands tackling WSH – it will be a key step towards attaining the Millennium Development Goals
- Water supply and sanitation investments make economic sense. For every dollar invested, eight dollars in benefits and savings could be realized
- For example, water supply and sanitation improvements would save each year:
- 500 million productive days at work or at school.- More than US $7 billion in health-care costs- More than 20 billion working days from more convenient drinking-water and sanitation facilities.
See Link to the report:
http://www.who.int/quantifying_ehimpacts/publications/saferwater/en/index.html
Viet Nam specific facts - pages 52/53