Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Links to Health: 
Facts and Figures 

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) 28aug02

Global burden of disease from water, sanitation and hygiene

• 3.4 million people, mostly children, die annually from water-related diseases. 

• 2.4 billion people lack access to basic sanitation include the poorest in the world. 

• 1.1 billion people lack access to even improved water sources. 

• Access to safe water supply and sanitation is fundamental for better health, poverty alleviation and development. 

Diarrhoea

• 2.1 million people die every year from diarrhoeal diseases (including cholera) associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene. The majority are children in developing countries. 

• Water, hygiene and sanitation interventions reduce diarrhoea incidence by 26% and mortality by 65%. 

Malaria

• 1 million people - mainly children under 5 - die of malaria each year. 

• 300 million people suffer from malaria every year, 90% of the disease burden is in Africa and South of the Sahara. 

• Intensified irrigation, dams and other water related projects contribute importantly to this disease burden. 

• Better management of water resources reduces transmission of malaria and other vector borne diseases. 

Schistosomiasis

• 200 million people are infected with schistosomiasis. 

• 20 million suffer severe consequences. 

• The disease is still found in 74 countries of the world. 

• Basic sanitation reduces the disease by up to 77%. 

Arsenic

• 35 - 77 million from a total of 125 million in Bangladesh are at risk of drinking contaminated water. 

• At least 100 000 cases of debilitating skin lesions caused by arsenic are believed to have occurred in Bangladesh. 

• Arsenic contamination of ground water is a global problem. It has been found in many countries, including Argentina, Bangladesh, Chile, China, India, Mexico, Thailand and the United States. 

Trachoma

• 6 million people are visually impaired by Trachoma. 

• 146 million are threatened by blindness. 

• 500 million people are at risk from Trachoma. 

• Trachoma can be prevented by improving sanitary conditions and hygiene practices. 

Japanese encephalitis

• 20% of persons with Japanese encephalitis with clinical symptoms die. 

• 35% have permanent brain damage. 

• Improved management for irrigation of water resources reduces transmission of disease, in South, South East, and East Asia. 

Fluorosis

• It is estimated that nearly 28 million people suffer from chronic fluorosis primarily due to exposure to fluoride in drinking-water, in China alone. 

• Removal of excessive fluoride from drinking-water reduces crippling fluorosis. 

Hepatitis

• 1.5 million cases of clinical hepatitis A every year. 

For more information, visit www.who.int/phe  or email bravardf@who.int 

source: http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/General/factsandfigures.htm 10sep02