Saving Lives through Global Safe Water

摘要

Unsafe water is a global public health threat, placingpersons at risk for a host of diarrheal and other dis-eases as well as chemical intoxication. Unsanitary waterhas particularly devastating effects on young children inthe developing world. Each year, >2 million persons, most-ly children <5 years of age, die of diarrheal disease (1,2).For children in this age group, diarrheal disease accountedfor 17 of all deaths from 2000 to 2003 (3), ranking thirdamong causes of death, after neonatal causes and acute res-piratory infections. Severe, prolonged diarrheal diseasecan also lead to malnutrition and impaired physical andcognitive development (4). Nearly 90 of diarrhea-relateddeaths have been attributed to unsafe or inadequate watersupplies and sanitation (5)—conditions affecting a largepart of the world's population. An estimated 1.1 billionpersons (one sixth of the world's population) lack access toclean water and 2.6 billion to adequate sanitation (5).