Ending cholera starts with clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene

Enjoying our newsletter? Subscribe for expert insights into the world of water, sanitation and hygiene.

Around the world, thousands of people die every year from a disease that is entirely preventable: cholera.

Researchers estimate that this disease, long-forgotten in some parts of the world, kills 143,000 people every year, largely in areas where people struggle to access clean water. Recent outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia have been particularly devastating.

The tragedy is that many of these deaths could be prevented with clean water, sanitation and hygiene. Cholera often exists in tandem with poverty, and in areas severely affected by conflict and climate change.

I’ve just returned from Nigeria where I saw the commitment of decision makers and politicians to eradicate cholera. The national government, along with the health, environment and water resources sectors, have co-developed a five-year plan of action to address cholera head-on, and I am confident that this concerted effort can help make this disease a thing of the past across the country.

Our latest analysis provides a comprehensive picture of the current global cholera crisis and makes the case that investment in water, sanitation and hygiene can have long-lasting impacts on the health and wellbeing of communities, ensuring people can lead long, happy and healthy lives.

It’s time for more world leaders to prioritise and develop robust plans to address cholera. After all, it’s our collective responsibility to ensure that no one dies or loses a loved one to a preventable disease.

Irene Owusu-Poku , Policy Analyst – Health Policy and Advocacy, WaterAid ?

How to prevent a cholera catastrophe: invest in water, sanitation and hygiene

In many parts of the world, cholera is long forgotten. However, in Malawi and Zambia, recent deadly outbreaks of the disease have claimed thousands of lives. But with access to clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene, countries can prevent infections and outbreaks, save lives and benefit economically.?

Ending cholera: powerful solutions that will prevent avoidable deaths

Our latest research, conducted from April to June 2024, uses our Political Economy Analysis tool to provide a comprehensive picture of the current global cholera crisis, the driving factors, and the opportunities to fast-track cholera prevention and control efforts through clean water, sanitation and hygiene.

Dirty Deliveries: why clean water is essential to surviving childbirth

Water and sanitation facilities can also help protect mothers and their babies during childbirth, and act as a crucial defence against the rise of superbugs. To do this, WASH must be part of national maternal health strategies and, crucially, funding for it must increase.

More from our experts:

• Clean water changes everything: Vestine MUKESHIMANA , Country Director of WaterAid Rwanda talks about a new project supported by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs that’s helping to bring clean water services to nearly 12,000 people.

• Illegal gold mining spells disaster in Ghana: Country Director of WaterAid Ghana , Ewurabena Yanyi-Akofur, speaks to Al Jazeera Media Network about our report on the escalating problem of illegal gold mining and its disastrous effect on water in the country.

• Water a ‘central element’ in global crises: Of the biggest threats to humanity in the next decade, four are linked to climate. Tim Wainwright , CEO of WaterAid UK, makes the case to world leaders that an investment in water is an investment in our collective future in Sustainability Online.net .

Top image: Chifuniro lost her grandmother to cholera. Here she holds her son, Ernest, 2, in Malawi. WaterAid/ Sophie Harris-Taylor?

Enjoying our newsletter? Subscribe for expert insights into the world of water, sanitation and hygiene.