Sanitation is one of the most important factor to people’s health internationally. Without access to good sanitation, people will suffer from many diseases even we have a good medical treatment and an aids to developing countries. Over 2.5 billion people are suffering from a lack of access to improved sanitation and nearly 1.2 billion practice open defecation. It is good news that the number of people who do not have an access to an improved drinking water source has fallen below one billion for the first time since data were first complied in 1990. It shows that 87% of the world population has access to improved drinking water sources. However, it means that there are still 13% of the world populations who do not get access to improved drinking water sources. Poor sanitation affects people’s health in many ways, but among many factors, poor sanitation is a biggest threat to children’s survival. One of the biggest killers of infants under the age of five is a diarrheal disease, which is caused by a contaminated environment around children. To save children under five years old, we have to improve the environment of children living. Without improving the sanitation, we cannot change the situation even we provide these people aids and medical care. In order to solve the problem with most effective way, we have to know what causes the problem. As mentioned in every international health problems, it is much better to prevent the problem than solving the problem after problem became a problem.
Lack to proper sanitation is a humongous problem because of all the consequences it has to human health. Open defecation leads to the spread of disease through contact. It can also contaminate the water supply with fecal e.coli and spread disease through the water.
ReplyDeleteIf the children have diarrheal diseases, they need water to keep them hydrated. However, if they have contaminated drinking water, they will never get better and more children will die.
Most, if not everything, of what you say is true. The problem comes about – as with all problems associated with international health - when trying to improve the situation. What exactly can be done and where will the money come from? The decision is mostly (and ultimately) up to individual governments. Improving the basic needs (of which adequate sanitation is one) of its population should be among the first and foremost aims of a government. Why we are still left with 13% of our global population still without access to improved sanitation is likely due to various reasons – one of which is that governments might be corrupt.
ReplyDeleteYes, sanitation is important, but it is also a much harder problem to solve. People need to be educated about the problems poor sanitation causes, and must be taught to practice clean sanitation. This is unlike vaccines or treatment, which is usually administered by doctors and nurses who know what they're doing. Clean water also requires infrastructure to provide a constant, cheap source, which also takes a lot of time and resources to get started.
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