Water and Sanitation

This four-part series on water and sanitation leads with an article by Jamie Bartram and Sandy Cairncross who argue that the massive burden of ill health associated with poor hygiene, sanitation and water supply demands more attention from policymakers. In the second article, Paul Hunter et al. focus on water supply and argue that more effort is needed to improve access to safe and sustainable water supplies. David Trouba et al. discuss the importance of improved sanitation to health and the role that the health sector can play in its advocacy in the third article. And in the final article, Sandy Cairncross et al. outline what needs to be done to make significant progress in providing more and better hygiene, sanitation and water for all. They argue the active involvement of health professionals in hygiene, sanitation and water supply is crucial to accelerating and consolidating progress for health.

Image Credit: WaterAid/Layton Thompson