Common diseases related to poor water supply and sanitation

• Diarrhoea: [definition...]88% of diarrhoeal disease is attributed to unsafe water supply, inadequate sanitation and hygiene.


• Malaria: [definition...]Intensified irrigation, dams and other water related projects contribute importantly to this disease burden by providing ample breeding grounds for disease-transmitting mosquitoes.


• Schistosomiasis: [definition...]An estimated 160 million people are infected with schistosomiasis, which causes tens of thousands of deaths every year, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. Man-made reservoirs and poorly designed irrigation schemes are main drivers of schistosomiasis expansion and intensification.


• Trachoma: [definition...]6 million people are visually impaired by trachoma. The disease is strongly related to lack of face washing, often due to absence of nearby sources of safe water. Improving access to safe water sources and better hygiene practices can reduce trachoma morbidity by 27%. Intestinal worms infect about 1 in 10 people in the developing world and the infections can lead to cognitive impairment, anaemia or massive dysentery.


• Japanese encephalitis: [definition...]20% of clinical cases of Japanese encephalitis die, and 35% suffer permanent brain damage. Improved management for irrigation of water resources reduces transmission of disease, in South, South East, and East Asia.


• Hepatitis A: [definition...]There are 1.5 million cases of clinical hepatitis A every year.


• Arsenic: [definition...]Arsenic contamination of ground water causes severe skin lesions and has been found in many countries, including Argentina, Bangladesh, Chile, China, India, Mexico, Thailand and the United States.


• Fluorosis: [definition...]Over 26 million people in China suffer from dental fluorosis due to elevated fluoride in their drinking-water, leading to an estimated 1 million cases of skeletal fluorosis.