World Water Day: Over 1.5 Million children die due to illnesses caused by poor hygiene or lack of clean water
19th March 2010, Rome, "The availability of water and its access are fundamentally important conditions which help to guarantee not only the health of many children but also the development of communities. Until water is a right given to all, is difficult to imagine progress in health conditions and survival for millions of families Water will become even more endangered by environmental and climatic change.
If the global community is not determined to resolve the problem of climate change, whole territories will become deserts without water. There will be a greater frequency and intensity of floods, and torrential rains will increase the incidence of illnesses that are carried in water and which are often deadly for children." stated Valerio Neri, Save the Children Italy CEO, on the eve of World Water Day (March 22), dedicated to the issue of water quality.
Less water: more illnesses and child mortality
Across the globe, over 900 million[1] people do not have access to enough water and 2.5 million - the majority of which live in rural zones - live without adequate sanitation services. It is estimated that 10% of the world's illnesses are spread by inadequate availability of clean water, hygiene and sanitation facilities. 3.5 million people die each year from inadequate access to drinking water, from poor hygiene, and from the lack or inadequacy of toilets and sewer systems.
Children are particularly vulnerable: 1.5 million every year - approximately 4,000 children every day - die from illnesses caused by poor quality drinking water or inadequate hygiene practices. One of the most frequent causes of death in children under the age of 5 is diarrhea: 1.4 million children under 5 fall victim to it and die each year. 88% of these deaths can be directly attributed to problems with water. Insufficient clean water, even for washing hands, can be linked to the spread of other illnesses such as intestinal worms that infect many children and increase their vulnerability to malnutrition, and anemia.
"The impact of water on the health and survival of children is enormous", continues Valerio Neri. "For example it is shown that in the case of trachoma, a bacterial infection that causes blindness in children, the rate of infection would drop by 27% if more water was available. In addition, it is estimated that greater access to clean drinking water would reduce of at least 25% of the cases of diarrhea while improvements in sanitation facilities could lead to a reduction of 30% in child mortality, equal to 2.5 million children's lives saved every year. We are calling for simple solutions - like the availability of clean water in residential areas, toilets, and soap for washing hands".
For many parts of the world, having clean water nearby, or toilet facilities at school is only a dream. In sub-Saharan Africa, 42% of the population cannot access water delivery systems. As well, 18% of the population must walk to reach a source of drinking water: the task of collecting of water for the whole family is most often delegated to women and young girls.
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