Sanitation and Wastewater Atlas of Africa - Human Health
Contaminated water and poor sanitation are
linked to the transmission of many preventable
diseases, the most common of which are diarrhoeal
diseases. Diarrhoea is one of the leading causes
of morbidity and mortality in children under the
age of five, and the leading cause of death in subSaharan Africa (SSA) (Global Burden of Disease
[GBD] 2016; Prüss-Ustün et al. 2014). Repeated
childhood diarrhoeal infections have been
associated with growth and cognitive impairment
and early death (Mokomane et al. 2018). Research
indicates that four pathogens are responsible for
the majority of moderate-to-severe diarrhoea
cases. These are Rotavirus, Cryptosporidium spp.,
Shigella spp. and Escherichia coli, all of which
are largely preventable with improved water,
sanitation and hygiene (Kotloff et al. 2013).
Year: 2021