Sanitation voted the top medical advance in last 150 years
In a poll carried out by the British Medical Journal in January 2007, sanitation was voted the most important medical milestone since 1840, ranking higher than antibiotics and vaccines. In poor countries, over 2.5 billion people do not have access to a basic toilet. Lack of access to safe water and latrines causes 5 million deaths each year.
Water and sanitation targets are included in the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. Governments have pledged to halve the proportion of people in need of clean water and basic sanitation by 2015. However, at current funding levels, under-funding for sanitation means the sanitation MDG is 90 years off target and will not be met until 2105. The cost of missing this goal: 133 million lives.
January 19th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
Thanks for sharing this new poll with us Marla. It is unfortunate about current funding levels being so low regarding latrines.
In your upcoming trip to Ethiopia, will you see areas which lack basic sanitation? And do you think the people in need of safe water recognize the link between latrines and better health, or are they more focused on obtaining access to water?
Chris
January 21st, 2007 at 8:40 pm
Chris -
Yes, the areas we are visiting have a great need for both water and sanitation. It is estimated that only 10% of the rural population of Ethiopia has access to water, and only a stunning 4% have toilets.
Some people in our project areas do recognize the link between latrines and better health, especially in Asia where our project beneficiaries tend to live in more densely populated areas.
In rural areas, I find that the initial motivation for building latrines is typically for privacy, especially for women and adolescent girls. Women in India have frequently told me about their embarrassment at defecating in the open fields and being yelled at by the wealthier land-owners (who have private toilets).
Our partner organizations invest a great deal of effort in working with communities to help them have a better understanding of how latrines and better hygiene behaviors can improve their health. Local hygiene promoters from the communities themselves receive training and can be a trusted and respected resource for other community members. Often we see a few household make changes right away, then others build toilets and make changes over time. For any of us (think of unkept New Year’s resolutions) it takes a lot of time to change habits, sometimes a few years, which why we support the work of local partners who can be there to support communities over the long-term.