3.3 WASH Integration and coordination into public health issues
Humanitarian WASH as an integral part of public and environmental health priorities
WASH interventions are critical to achieving effective public health outcomes. Unsafe drinking water, inadequate water availability for hygiene, and lack of access to sanitation coupled with lack of safe hygiene practices contribute to approximately 88% of deaths from diarrheal diseases, or approximately 829,000 preventable deaths per year worldwide, including 297,000 in children under five[1]. It is also a major cause of malnutrition: lack of access to safely managed water, sanitation and hygiene services is estimated to be responsible for about 50% of global malnutrition[2].
This situation occurs when people are exposed to epidemics, affected by conflicts and/or forced to flee their homes. In such emergencies, people often lack access to safe, clean water, adequate sanitation, and hygiene because water supply and sanitation systems are damaged, destroyed or inexistent. In protracted crises, children under five are 20 times more likely to die from diarrheal diseases due to poor access to water and sanitation than to conflict-related violence[3].
Regarding the fight against public health emergencies and epidemics, frequent and safe hand hygiene is one of the most critical measures that can be utilized to prevent further infection.Access to quality WASH services in terms of quality and quantity is thus an important sector of humanitarian and public health responses to achieve good public health outcomes.
Although this is a known fact, over the last decade, the humanitarian community’s public health responses to emergencies have struggled to provide life-saving relief while addressing the underlying causes of infectious disease. The WASH sector has often failed to assume a critical and proactive role in improving health outcomes. The sector will also need to develop an in-depth understanding of the relationship between public health and the environment. Indeed, environmental degradation and climate change are key challenges to reducing the spread of infectious diseases, and aspects such as water resource management, air and soil pollution control, human waste treatment and management, must be taken as primary considerations.
This situation occurs when people are exposed to epidemics, affected by conflicts and/or forced to flee their homes. In such emergencies, people often lack access to safe, clean water, adequate sanitation, and hygiene because water supply and sanitation systems are damaged, destroyed or inexistent. In protracted crises, children under five are 20 times more likely to die from diarrheal diseases due to poor access to water and sanitation than to conflict-related violence[3].
Regarding the fight against public health emergencies and epidemics, frequent and safe hand hygiene is one of the most critical measures that can be utilized to prevent further infection.Access to quality WASH services in terms of quality and quantity is thus an important sector of humanitarian and public health responses to achieve good public health outcomes.
Although this is a known fact, over the last decade, the humanitarian community’s public health responses to emergencies have struggled to provide life-saving relief while addressing the underlying causes of infectious disease. The WASH sector has often failed to assume a critical and proactive role in improving health outcomes. The sector will also need to develop an in-depth understanding of the relationship between public health and the environment. Indeed, environmental degradation and climate change are key challenges to reducing the spread of infectious diseases, and aspects such as water resource management, air and soil pollution control, human waste treatment and management, must be taken as primary considerations.
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For this purpose, this initiative aims to achieve a systematic integration of WASH, Health, Nutrition sectors, and other sectors if relevant, in responding to public health emergencies. To this end, a set of tools, processes, mechanisms, and frameworks (Joint Operational Framework) will be developed in collaboration with these sectors making WASH the center of excellence to enable these joint responses.
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This will be embodied in the development of key intersectoral workstreams with the WASH sector, to promote an integrated response towards outbreaks and other public emergencies and of a framework for roles and accountabilities of WASH responses in health emergencies. But this will also necessitate developing an integrated positioning of WASH, Health and Nutrition sectors (global, regional and national levels), based on R4ACT evidence-based recommendations to ensure its consistent adoption in humanitarian action and correspondence in the humanitarian response plan.
[1] Source : https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/water-sanitation-and-hygiene/
[2] https://www.unicef.org/stories/4-things-you-need-know-about-water-and-famine
[3] Water under Fire, Rapport UNICEF 2019
[1] Source : https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/water-sanitation-and-hygiene/
[2] https://www.unicef.org/stories/4-things-you-need-know-about-water-and-famine
[3] Water under Fire, Rapport UNICEF 2019
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Initiative's progress graph Work in progress, will be uploaded soon. |
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LED BY:
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PARTICIPANTS:
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Global WASH Cluster, International Organisation of Migration and UN International Children Emergency Fund
CONTRIBUTORS: International Committee of the Red Cross, International Refugee Council, London School of Hygien and Tropical Medicine, Solidarités International and World Health Organisation |
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