WASH
Apr 17, 2024
Students at Krishna Chandra Lower Primary School in India pose after participating in WASH training activity. Photo: Siddharth Behl/SEEDS.
Shahjahan Ahmed studies in Class three and his sister Mehbooba Khanam in Class two of the Krishna Chandra
Blog
Mar 20, 2024
A child having a lipid based nutrient supplement (LNS) in Bangladesh. Photo: icddr,b.
Deaths caused by diarrhea among children less than five years old are highest in poor communities in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, including here in
Blog
Nov 22, 2023
Symbol of World Toilet Day 2023. Photo: UN-Water.
World Toilet Day might be over, but the UN Water logo of the dedicated hummingbird from the ancient story is still flapping its wings, reminding us of what we announced at the UN Water Conference
Blog
Nov 16, 2023
A woman standing in front of a well constructed toilet in Northwest Nigeria. Photo: UN-Water/Apochi Owoicho.
Sanitation is a human right and yet 3.5 billion people still have no safe toilets and 419 million still have to defecate in the open.
Blog
Nov 06, 2023
What is the longest you’ve had to wait to use a toilet? It’s a scenario that can quickly turn from distressing to desperate. Yet for billions of people around the world, it is a daily reality to live without a toilet at all. And it’s dangerous to
Blog
Jul 13, 2023
Local clinics are the heart of rural community health. But where can a patient turn when health care facilities, or HCFs, are unable to provide one of the most basic elements of care: clean water? This harsh reality confronts 1.7 billion people
Blog
Jul 01, 2023
Handwashing with soap is easy, inexpensive, and it saves lives. Seems like common sense, but how does handwashing with soap actually work? Why can’t you just use water? What even is soap?
To answer these questions, we’ll need to go back to school
Blog
Jun 29, 2023
Families collect water in a displacement camp outside Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where they were forced to flee after a volcanic eruption. Photo: PATH/Ley Uwera.
US scientists have confirmed that a weather event known as El Niño
Blog
Jun 20, 2023
Emergency situations intensify the risk of severe diarrhea. Waterborne diseases like cholera spark
epidemics amid conflict, flooding, drought, or even displacement from volcanic eruption. Vaccines and education can save lives.
Espérance Leonard is
Photo gallery
Jun 20, 2023
Emergency situations intensify the risk of severe diarrhea. Waterborne diseases like cholera spark
epidemics amid conflict, flooding, drought, or even displacement from volcanic eruption. Vaccines and education can save lives.
Les situations d’
Photo gallery
Jun 20, 2023
Emergency situations intensify the risk of severe diarrhea. Waterborne diseases like cholera spark
epidemics amid conflict, flooding, drought, or even displacement from volcanic eruption. Vaccines and education can save lives.
Augustin Mikizi is a
Photo gallery
Jun 20, 2023
Emergency situations intensify the risk of severe diarrhea. Waterborne diseases like cholera spark
epidemics amid conflict, flooding, drought, or even displacement from volcanic eruption. Vaccines and education can save lives.
Dr. Raphaël Senga is
Photo gallery
Mar 23, 2023
A boy is taking a bath in the Mohammadpur slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photo: Maksudur Rahman
How much water does a four-member family in a slum in Bangladesh use daily? Or how do millions of people in the Horn of Africa region live during this
Blog
Mar 08, 2023
The climate crisis is a health crisis, and one of its manifestations is its disruptive impact on safe drinking water and sanitation. Weather extremes like flooding stress sanitation systems and create increased opportunity for waterborne diseases
Blog
Feb 16, 2023
Photo: PATH.
Cholera is a major global health threat, affecting communities in endemic countries where access to safe water and adequate sanitation is limited. Despite significant progress in reducing the number of cholera cases and deaths, the
Blog
Nov 23, 2022
A health worker in Nepal prepares a typhoid vaccine. Photo: PATH.
When there is danger downstream, it helps to have a strategy—and the right equipment—before you find yourself in rough waters. In the shifting currents of global health, prevention
Blog
Nov 16, 2022
Meet Poo Guru! She is flush with facts about toilets, sanitation, and their vital role in global health. This World Toilet Day, as we celebrate all kinds of loos and latrines, the Poo Guru is our guide. She aims to raise awareness and investment in
Blog
Nov 10, 2022
The Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhoea outlines an integrated approach to simultaneously tackle these leading infectious killers of children.
Scores are steadily rising in Mali, and children are the clear
Blog
Nov 01, 2022
Meet the Poo Guru! She is flush with facts about toilets, sanitation, and their vital role in global health.
Hygiene and sanitation are public health building blocks. Before medicines and vaccines, clean water and sanitation were on the front
Graphics
Oct 14, 2022
A simple handwashing station sits outside Kilingili Health Centre in Ikolomani sub-county of Kakamega, Kenya. Photo: PATH/Tony Karumba.
The past two years shone a spotlight on the crucial role of handwashing in safeguarding public health. New
Blog
Sep 18, 2022
Meet the Poo Guru! She is flush with facts about toilets, sanitation, and their vital role in global health.
Vaccines protect against waterborne diseases like typhoid and cholera, which can thrive when sanitation is lacking. Together, sanitation
Graphics
Jun 18, 2022
Dr. Mahmud and team conduct water surveillance in Cox's Bazar.
This post originally appeared on the Take On Typhoid website
Of all the risks refugees and other displaced persons face, preventable disease outbreaks should not be one of them.
Blog
Mar 21, 2022
Photo: People swim in a lake created during the rainy season in Matam, Senegal. PATH/Gabe Bienczycki.
This post originally appeared on the Take On Typhoid website.
The 9th World Water Forum, held in Dakar, Senegal from March 21-26, 2022, is
Blog
Mar 04, 2022
Source: Burcu Köleli for UN Women (2022).
You’ve probably heard this before: women and girls are more impacted by climate change than men and boys. But what does this really mean?
On March 8, 2022, we celebrate International Women’s Day
Blog
Nov 19, 2021
The DefeatDD team was recently invited to join the Faecal Sludge Management Alliance (FSMA) for a discussion on their podcast, FSMA Presents, with award-winning science journalist and author Chelsea Wald. In Pipe Dreams: The Urgent Global Quest to
Blog
Nov 10, 2021
Note from DefeatDD: Our current sanitation systems are insufficient for the challenges of the future. The supposed “gold standard” of sewered sanitation protects against disease but wastes water and energy and requires expensive maintenance. Too few
Blog
Oct 26, 2021
The potential of circular sanitation systems in building healthy, adaptive, climate-resilient cities
Hadija, an entrepreneur, mother, and grandmother of four (pictured above), has lived in Kenya’s capital Nairobi for over 30 years. She loves the cultural diversity and numerous business opportunities the city offers her. On the other hand, she is
Blog
Oct 13, 2021
This blog was originally published on the Global Handwashing Partnership Community Forum.
The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown into stark relief longstanding inequities. Families without access to primary healthcare, vaccines, nutrition, or safe
Blog
Sep 21, 2021
Photo: A latrine in Ecuador floods after heavy rains, causing sewage to seep into groundwater. Credit: Karen Levy
The world has made substantial progress in combatting diarrhea over the last decade. Climate change is a direct threat to that
Blog
Sep 15, 2021
As climate extremes become more common due to climate change, they will put stress on the world’s water and sanitation systems – many of which are aging, poorly planned, or nonexistent. This means more outbreaks of waterborne disease, and those
Graphics
Sep 15, 2021
Clean water, sanitation, and hygiene—collectively known as WASH—are essential for child health. They are foundational solutions to fighting diarrheal disease.
WASH solutions should be sustainable, locally focused, and supported by policy and
Graphics
Aug 30, 2021
As the lead of UNICEF’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) programs in Vanuatu, an island nation in the Pacific, Emily Rand feels she has a front row seat to climate change’s impacts on disease. Vanuatu is currently experiencing a dengue fever
Blog
Jun 02, 2021
Healthcare facilities employ various approaches to limiting the introduction of external pathogens to wards. Photo: Adam Drolet/PATH.
What would run through your mind if you showed up to a healthcare facility to receive medical care and learned
Blog
Mar 31, 2021
Note from DefeatDD: This blog originally appeared on the Nutrition International website.
Zinc and oral rehydration solution (ORS) are the World Health Organization’s recommended first-line treatment for diarrhea, and Nutrition International’s
Blog
Mar 19, 2021
In today’s blog post, we’re featuring a fierce and passionate female WASH advocate from Nigeria. Tariah Adams, a Senior Communications and Advocacy Officer for White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria and campaign mobilizer, she has a personal interest in
Blog
Feb 01, 2021
Photo: A mother in Vietnam helps her children wash their hands while wearing face masks. The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear the links between health and handwashing.
Health and water are inextricably linked. Yet, policies and programs related
Blog
Nov 23, 2020
The number of drug-resistant infections is growing worldwide. By increasing access to recommended tools to prevent and treat diarrhea—vaccines, oral rehydration solution (ORS) + zinc, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)—we can help slow the
Blog
Nov 16, 2020
As COVID-19 continues to surge over the globe, it forces us to reckon with the fact that true global health equity – universal access to primary healthcare – is an unfinished task that we pay for at our collective expense.
Universal access to
Blog
Oct 13, 2020
NOTE: This blog was originally posted on the Global Handwashing Partnership website.
When the COVID-19 pandemic first began and little was known about the novel coronavirus, one of the World Health Organization (WHO)’s first recommendations was
Blog
Oct 07, 2020
At DefeatDD, we advocate for simple tools to stop the cycle of diarrhea and malnutrition. Prioritizing access to these tools for women and girls does more than halt a bad cycle; it creates a positive cycle in their lives and, by extension, their
Blog
Sep 29, 2020
We applaud you with clean hands! Thank you for all that you do.
Video
Sep 22, 2020
In wealthy countries, toilet paper hoarding became a reactionary phenomenon in the early months of the pandemic: a case study in stubborn inequity as two billion people around the world don’t have a toilet.
Climate change. Inequity. COVID-19 and
Blog
Sep 03, 2020
This blog originally appeared on the Take on Typhoid website.
The power of data is increasingly recognized for its ability to help solve complex public health challenges and inform public health decision-making. One of the biggest and enduring
Blog
Sep 01, 2020
At the start of 2020, more children lived to see their first birthday than at any time in history. Child mortality had fallen by 50% since 2000.
But the progress did not reach every woman, nor every child. The gains have proven fragile and the
Reports
Aug 26, 2020
Food hygiene is an integral cross-section between WASH and nutrition, especially for young children under five. Translated from Nyanja as, “Have you washed your hands with soap and water?”, this bib was given to participants in the Hygienic Family
Blog
Aug 14, 2020
This post originally appeared on Vaccines Work.
Diarrheal disease is the second leading infectious killer of children under five worldwide. Lessons learned from tackling this deadly disease could also help us recover from COVID-19 stronger than
Blog
Aug 01, 2020
From the UNICEF website:
The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) produces internationally comparable estimates of progress on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and is responsible for monitoring the Sustainable Development Goal (
Reports
Jul 20, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on a simple, yet often neglected solution: proper hand hygiene. Hand hygiene, through handwashing with soap or the use of alcohol-based handrub, is a cost-effective way to not only combat COVID-19, but also
Blog
Jul 10, 2020
Three billion people – 40% of the world’s population – do not have a place in their homes to wash their hands with water and soap. Three quarters of those who lack access to water and soap live in the world’s poorest countries and are among the most
Reports
Jul 10, 2020
Poor access to water, sanitation, and hygiene is the root cause of many persistent global health challenges. Even as we respond to the global COVID-19 emergency, we can use this opportunity to thoughtfully lay a foundation for long-term success
Blog
Jun 16, 2020
COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020. To date, COVID-19 has infected nearly 8 million people and killed more than 430,000 worldwide. In the
Blog
May 28, 2020
Janie Hayes soldiers forward on a long stretch of road near the Colorado-Wyoming border in the 2016 Trans America Bike Race. Photo credit: Anthony Dryer.
“I’m hungry.”
It’s a phrase you probably say often – I know I do. As an endurance
Blog
May 05, 2020
Photo courtesy of © Water and Sanitation Collaborative Council.
This post also appears on the Take on Typhoid website.
There may be no other time when we have heard so many experts and leaders—online, on the radio, and on television—speaking
Blog
May 01, 2020
There is strong evidence linking safe WASH to health and nutrition, though nutrition is only one of many development outcomes from investment in WASH services. USAID has identified four recommendations for WASH programming that are likely to have
Factsheets
Apr 21, 2020
In 2019, the World Health Organization added co-packaged ORS and zinc to its Essential List of Medicines. This will improve availability, uptake, and affordability of these lifesaving diarrhea treatments.
UPDATE: The DefeatDD is heartened that
Blog
Apr 02, 2020
Preliminary findings from a new study by Food for the Hungry provide insight into the connection between maternal depression and the impact on the uptake of commonly promoted household-level health and nutrition behaviors in children. Photo: Jeff
Blog
Mar 26, 2020
As the world tries to adapt to the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, one reaction of US citizens has been – at first glance – bizarre. Why are people frantic about stocking up on toilet paper? I confess I have not been immune to this frenzy and as
Blog
Mar 20, 2020
Sunday is World Water Day, a day that we’ve celebrated at DefeatDD annually for over ten years. It’s always been one of our favorite ways to focus attention to our world’s growing need for clean water – and the actions we must take to attain it
Blog
Feb 25, 2020
Early Childhood Development Coordinater, Gino Regina (left), and Matthew Frey (center) spend time with community members in Nampula, Mozambique.
When I started my career in child-focused health and development in Nepal more than 25 years ago,
Blog
Feb 20, 2020
“As climate and commercial threats intensify, WHO-UNICEF-Lancet Commission presses for radical rethink on child health,” opens the press release for the launch of the new report, A Future for the World’s Children?
The question mark is an unsettling
Blog
Jan 16, 2020
Water-related health issues like diarrhea and typhoid sit at the intersection of two interventions: vaccination and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).
Vaccines and WASH are both essential components of primary health care necessary for
Blog
Jan 16, 2020
Vaccines and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are both necessary to provide communities with comprehensive protection from disease. When both are present, they work even better. Learn more.
Access different formats (.gif, .mp4) of the graphic
Graphics
Dec 18, 2019
Photo source: BCN Confidential.
If I didn’t know better, I’d think it was an elaborate prank played by my colleagues. What are the chances that my work on diarrheal disease would follow me on vacation in the Christmas markets of beautiful
Blog
Dec 04, 2019
This toolkit from the WASH in Health Care Facilities initiative, led by the World Health Organization and UNICEF, walks through the steps to develop an advocacy strategy for improving water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in health care facilities.
Toolkits
Nov 27, 2019
A family in Bihar, India, stands proudly in front of their new toilet. Photo: Angad Khanna.
The Aga Khan Development Network’s (AKDN) multi-state sanitation initiative, led by Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and in partnership with Aga Khan Rural
Blog
Nov 18, 2019
Poop is disgusting. That’s a universal fact that we can all appreciate. But if you have ever rolled your eyes at the insistent refrain from health experts to wash your hands, realize their persistence is fueled by knowledge that can’t be un-known.
Blog
Nov 17, 2019
Millions of children’s lives have been saved by protecting them against diarrheal disease, yet it remains a leading killer of children under five years of age worldwide. By raising awareness about integrated prevention and treatment solutions, we
Message maps
Nov 13, 2019
Children in poor regions will be most affected by climate change-induced diarrheal diseases, via mechanisms such as flooding and the subsequent waterborne illnesses it causes; drought, which reduces availability of nutritious food and can affect
Published research
Oct 23, 2019
Diarrhea and malnutrition form a vicious circle together which, if not addressed, can threaten the lives of millions
Malnutrition is the root of various diseases. It is one of India’s most significant human development challenge threatening the
Blog
Oct 14, 2019
A nurse in Zambia washes her hands before she demonstrates how to prepare oral rehydration solution. Photo: PATH/Gareth Bentley.
See this post on the Global Handwashing Day website.
Take a moment to picture the last time you went to the doctor’s
Blog
Oct 02, 2019
Women and children will bear the brunt of climate change in India. Photo: PATH.
This year India witnessed severe bouts of heat wave across its plains. In the long summer, large parts of India faced severe water stress. As I write, sharp, intense
Blog
Aug 28, 2019
This toolkit helps health programs work with the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) community. It provides a set of tools based on real-life examples of building partnerships, mobilising resources, and designing, implementing, and evaluating
Toolkits
Jul 17, 2019
Just the facts: these high-level talking points on diarrheal disease tell you what you need to know about the global crisis and the solutions. Each bullet includes a link to more information. View and share the message map or the plain text below
Message maps
Jul 01, 2019
Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) has identified five myths which are stopping investors, agencies and policymakers from properly addressing the inadequate access to essential water and sanitation services in cities across Africa and
Reports
Jun 27, 2019
Photo: PATH.
Editor's note: Noni Mungai is DefeatDD's summer intern (ICYMI, we introduced her on Facebook last week), and this is her first blog with us! Congratulations, Noni!
I believe that we cannot address WASH (water, sanitation, and
Blog
Jun 19, 2019
This post was originally published on the Take on Typhoid blog.
Every year—from South Sudan to Uganda, Myanmar to Bangladesh, Syria to Jordan—millions of people endure long, dangerous and difficult journeys to find safety and refuge. Safety from
Blog
Jun 01, 2019
The World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund (WHO/UNICEF) Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (JMP) produces internationally comparable estimates of progress on drinking water, sanitation and
Reports
May 22, 2019
Walking up to the front gates of Kilembe Mines Hospital in Western Uganda, one of the first things that catches your attention are the lush, mountainous terrain surrounding the health facility. Patients and family members line the airy, shaded
Blog
May 03, 2019
In Zambia, a nurse washes her hands before showing a mother how to prepare oral rehydration solution. Photo: PATH/Gareth Bentley.
While the Global Handwashing Partnership is best known for Global Handwashing Day, there are so many occasions to
Blog
May 01, 2019
The Stop Diarrhoea Initiative (SDI), a project by Save the Children, India, aimed to showcase the WHO/UNICEF Seven-Point Plan as the most effective strategy to comprehensively prevent and treat childhood diarrhoea. The project contributes to Save
Blog
Apr 01, 2019
This report from the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (JMP) presents the first baseline data for WASH in healthcare facilities.
Read the full report and the companion guidance document
Reports
Mar 27, 2019
Devyani's bout of diarrhea involved an emergency visit to the city of Bhopal, 25 miles away. It was a pivotal moment for her parents that changed their perspective on hygiene and sanitation. Photo: Sushmita Malaviya.
I try my best never to miss
Blog
Mar 22, 2019
Water Under Fire aims to generate popular public support to improve children’s access to water in crises and to galvanize action for UNICEF’s Change Agenda, which calls on governments, partners, and parties to conflict to:
Stop attacks on water and
Reports
Mar 20, 2019
Where there is conflict or unrest, children and families bear the brunt of the burden and fallout from infectious disease outbreaks like cholera and typhoid.
Conflicts simply amplify the ongoing diarrheal disease crisis that affects children every
Blog
Jan 09, 2019
An amino acid–based oral rehydration solution is among the potential solutions to heal gut damage. Photo: PATH/Amy Gottlieb.
Adapted from an article that originally appeared on PATH.org.
The global diarrheal disease burden comes with
Blog
Dec 20, 2018
Colleagues at our Take the Plunge event demonstrate WASH and vaccine integration… we think.
Personally and professionally, December is my favorite time of year to be reflective, and this year that feels especially the case. I’m not sure if that’
Blog
Nov 28, 2018
Medical staff prepping for surgery with limited resources in Kilembe, Uganda. Photo: PATH/Tom de Blasis.
Mar 21, 2018
Blog
Nov 19, 2018
In the game of cricket and in most sports, the all-star players are the ones who are best at teamwork. I was the captain of the cricket team at my high school, and I played cricket all the way through medical school. I was the wicket keeper who
Blog
Oct 10, 2018
Blog originally posted on Crowd 360.
If you’re reading this post, chances are you have grown up with the familiar injunction to wash our hands, especially before eating. But here’s something you may not know: clean hands are a recipe for health
Blog
Sep 12, 2018
Diarrhea: The good, the bad, and what you can do to help address this global crisis. Read the full message map, available in English and French.
Message maps
Sep 10, 2018
Between 2005-2015, child deaths from diarrhea plummeted by 30%. But we now know that the long-term consequences of multiple diarrhea episodes are severe. It isn’t fair that children be saved, just to lose out on a happy, healthy life.
We’ll
Video
Sep 10, 2018
In 2008 I started a job at PATH to promote a childhood vaccine against a nasty infection called “rotavirus.” I had never heard of rotavirus but immediately learned that it’s a major killer – responsible for more child deaths around the world than
Blog
Aug 22, 2018
Diarrhea. It is often the stuff of comedy, a dreaded first date woe, or an uncomfortable inconvenience after indulging in too much guac.
Beyond the silly and the squeamish, though, there’s a more important story to be told: diarrheal disease is a
Blog
May 23, 2018
Do you know who enjoys a good conversation about poop? Preschoolers. As they learn to use the toilet, flush, and wash their hands, talking about poop seems to become a topic for any time of day. It may just be my preschooler, but he’s obsessed. He
Blog
Mar 21, 2018
As part of Save the Children's integrated Stop Diarrhoea Initiative in New Delhi, India, mothers learn about important diarrhea prevention and treatment methods to keep children healthy, including the importance of safe, water, sanitation, and
Blog
Feb 28, 2018
Handwashing with soap is an amazing tool to defeat diarrheal diseases, reduce newborn and child mortality, and much more. Hygiene advocacy helps to build the right enabling environment to make this life-saving behavior accessible to all. To support
Blog
Feb 07, 2018
Dr. Mark Manary, one of the world’s foremost experts in childhood malnutrition, screens children in Chikweo, Malawi. Photo: Carol Lin.
With 155 million stunted children in the world, progress against the complex condition is not coming fast
Blog
Dec 20, 2017
You know what makes for a really memorable holiday?
Viral diarrhea.
This year, a few days before my family was due to arrive at my parents’ house for Thanksgiving, my mom came down with a very mild case of stomach flu. She recovered within a
Blog
Dec 19, 2017
We tested our toilet stall backdrop (aka, our “Go Kit”) at a Diarrhea Innovations Group (DIG) meeting. The poo emoji stick was a fan favorite. Watch their Toilet Talks and take notes: you just might spot this loo during our event and conference
Article
Dec 01, 2017
In 2015, civil war broke out in Yemen between the government and the rebel movement, triggering a humanitarian crisis that has resulted in more than 70 per cent of the population needing immediate aid and assistance. Yemen is one of the poorest
Blog
Nov 22, 2017
Did you know? Diarrheal disease is one type of enteric illness—the name for any disease caused by an intestinal infection. All enteric pathogens enter the body through the mouth, usually via contaminated food, water, or hands. Diarrheal diseases
Article
Nov 18, 2017
Learn more about diarrheal disease from our Toilet Talk video series!
Video
Nov 16, 2017
Our team has made so many good friends this year at Sesame Workshop India, both of the human and Muppet variety. We celebrated World Water Day with Chamki and Googly, and now we’re gearing up for World Toilet Day with Raya, who is just as passionate
Blog
Nov 15, 2017
We need your help to make a stink about diarrheal disease and the solutions to defeat it: Create and share a Toilet Talk! It's like a one-minute TED Talk in a bathroom, and you can share it on social media using the hashtag #DefeatDD. Check our our
Video
Nov 09, 2017
Childhood diarrhea deaths have decreased, but children are still getting sick and infections are a major problem. Children who survive an episode but are faced with repeated infections are more likely to suffer from lifelong cognitive and physical
Reports
Oct 25, 2017
On DefeatDD’s trip to India earlier this year, I had the opportunity to meet with many dedicated colleagues working to reduce the toll of childhood diarrhea. As they guided our team through some of the communities most affected by a high burden of
Blog
Oct 22, 2017
Campaign overview
We need your help to make a stink about diarrheal disease and the importance of safe sanitation and other solutions to defeat it.
For most of us, diarrhea comes and goes in the comfort of a bathroom with a reliable toilet.
Toolkits
Oct 12, 2017
This post also appears on the Global Handwashing Day website.
I’m always impressed by the tireless dedication of community health volunteers, but I have to admit that Babli is my favorite I’ve met so far. She was just so… cool. I imagined myself
Blog
Oct 10, 2017
Handwashing can prevent nearly half of diarrhea cases. Educating mothers on the six steps of handwashing can have enormous impact.
Video
Oct 10, 2017
Did you know that repeated gut infections like diarrhea can lead to malnutrition? We need integrated approaches to defeat diarrheal disease. Learn more by exploring our infographic.
Video
Oct 04, 2017
As many of you know, here at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we are passionate about child health. We have been encouraged by progress that has been achieved in recent decades: since 1990, the percentage of children who die before age five
Blog
Oct 03, 2017
By implementing this multisectoral strategy, the Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC) partners will support countries to reduce cholera deaths by 90 percent by 2030.
The Global Roadmap is based on three strategic axes:
Early detection and
Reports
Sep 22, 2017
Hurricanes in the United States and the Caribbean. Floods in South Asia and Yemen. Mudslides in Sierra Leone. The natural disasters have held many captive: literal captives of flooded houses, cars, roads, and airports. Others have been simply
Blog
Sep 12, 2017
Organizations in India are working with children to break the cycle of diarrheal disease.
Video
Sep 12, 2017
I have yet to meet a child who did not want to be a grown up.
My four-year-old niece, Lily, loves sharing her expertise with her baby sister, Rosalie, on how to navigate the ways of the world. Fortunately for her mom, Lily is fastidious about
Blog
Aug 30, 2017
Originally posted on the 1000 Days website.
In the leadup to World Water Week, WaterAid, SHARE (Sanitation and Hygiene Applied Research for Equity) and Action Against Hunger launched a new report, “The recipe for success,” in which they discuss
Blog
Aug 24, 2017
This report from Action Against Hunger, SHARE, and WaterAid highlights why WASH is essential for nutrition, and how this integration could be strengthened, through an analysis of nutrition and WASH plans and policies in ten countries. It also
Reports
Aug 24, 2017
I knew enough to know that Delhi would be unlike any other place I’d ever visited. I knew to expect heart-stopping auto rides, colorful chaos, seemingly impossible juxtapositions of gleaming office buildings and tattered tents, and delicious chai
Blog
Jul 27, 2017
Zari sandwich! PATH team members Cassie Kobrin on the left, Elana Banin on the right.
Nothing was going to keep this DefeatDD team member away from the Hill event, “Ensuring All Children Thrive: A Global Challenge,” which delivered on its
Blog
Jul 10, 2017
When the floods came and privacy and safety were harder to find, the Kumar family decided to take out a loan and build a toilet instead
This video won a Silver Telly Award in the Online category under Public Interest and Awareness! of using nearby
Video
Jul 10, 2017
To stop the vicious cycle of malnutrition and diarrhea and subsequent lifelong impacts, we need to reach children early with a multifaceted approach, especially in the hardest to reach areas. These models of success in India are turning the tide.
Video
Jul 10, 2017
When children live in poor countries, their risk of diarrheal disease is much higher. Solutions to alleviate the burden exist, but we need greater awareness and action if we are going to protect children, families, and communities from the lifelong
Video
Jul 09, 2017
In the summer of 2017, the DefeatDD team journeyed to India to gather stories about the burden of diarrheal disease and the continued need for integrated approaches to prevent the vicious cycle of malnutrition, poverty, and poor health.
While
Blog
May 26, 2017
This summary from the Global Handwashing Partnership outlines key themes and findings from 59 peer-reviewed handwashing-related research papers published in 2016, relevant to low and middle-income countries, around 1) the benefits of handwashing
Published research
May 17, 2017
I’ve been thinking a lot about toilets lately. Odd, I know, but I have a toddler who is interested in using the toilet and the prospect of not changing daily diapers is almost too good to be true. My son is obsessed with using the toilet – he
Blog
May 01, 2017
The US Government's Call to Action for Child Survival, launched in 2012, initiated an annual Acting on the Call report that documented the US government contributions to child health around the world. The 2017 report outlines what is possible if we
Reports
Apr 20, 2017
Cristina Bicchieri, Professor in the Departments of Philosophy and Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, was recently in New Delhi where, among other things, she conducted a session on understanding social norms for behavior change with
Blog
Mar 22, 2017
We at DefeatDD stand in awe of the power of water. Without water, there would be no life. We drink it, we grow and cook our food with it, we wash our hands, bodies, and clothes with it, we flush our waste away with it, we use it for recreation and
Blog
Feb 21, 2017
The 4th International Faecal Sludge Management Conference is underway this week in Chennai, India, and there are several unresolved issues that need to be discussed, the most critical being the sewage that typically ends up staying inside poor urban
Blog
Feb 14, 2017
When you work in global health – and have a toddler – poo is a frequent topic of conversation. Whether it’s breakfast, a walk to the playground, or a nice quiet dinner, I am always up for a good chat about defecation. But not everyone seems to
Blog
Dec 07, 2016
"The sun never sets on the Enterobax Empire." Illustration by Ishir Sharma, age 13.
It was quite a productive week for me at last month's ASTMH Annual Meeting. I met several interesting researchers, attended symposia about the promise of ETEC
Blog
Nov 17, 2016
Honduras is a mountainous, beautiful country checkered with neatly planted fields of corn and beans, thick plantations of bananas, and swaying swaths of sugar cane. Despite the lush scenery, life for rural Hondurans is often much more complicated
Blog
Nov 01, 2016
In this report, IVAC identifies the 15 countries with the greatest number of deaths from pneumonia and diarrhea among children under the age of five in a given year. IVAC then uses a scoring method based on the Global Action Plan for the Prevention
Reports
Oct 13, 2016
You might know that handwashing makes a huge impact when it comes to preventing diarrhea: if everyone made handwashing a habit, diarrhea risk would drop by nearly half! But did you know that good handwashing and hygiene habits can also help children
Blog
Oct 04, 2016
The 2016 Lancet Early Childhood Development Series highlights the importance of multisectoral approaches, especially within the first few years of a child's life, to ensure that she reaches her full developmental potential. Topics include the
Published research
Oct 01, 2016
Poo Haiku has a special legacy as DefeatDD’s first social media campaign and is undoubtedly a fan favorite. Whimsical, informative, and an open forum for all sectors to raise their voice, it is the epitome of what our team considers a successful
Article
Oct 01, 2016
This infographic walks you through the biology behind a key question: Why is diarrhea so dangerous, anyway?
The danger is in the dehydration caused by a diarrhea pathogen (in our example, ETEC).
Children are especially vulnerable to dehydration
Graphics
Sep 28, 2016
In our latest video, our intervention superheroes win a village battle against four of the six top diarrhea pathogens.
Together.
It's a word you hear from us fairly often: Together, our voices raise the volume of a global conversation to defeat
Blog
Sep 16, 2016
Superheroes and villains face off in the battle to DefeatDD! With their powers combined, Nutrition, Vaccines, WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene), and ORS + Zinc help children, families, and communities conquer the biggest bugs terrorizing towns
Video
Aug 29, 2016
Say sayonara to Star Trek because this summer's biggest blockbuster isn't playing at your local theater. The most compelling drama comes to you right here, as superheroes and villains face off in the fight to defeat diarrheal disease!
That sight
Blog
Aug 23, 2016
Richard Heinzl (center) went to Sisophon, Cambodia, on his first mission with MSF in 1991.
Editor's Note: The contents of this blog, unfortunately, remain relevant as conflict continues to occur in many regions of the world. Although the
Blog
Aug 17, 2016
Sweltering summer heat is in full swing here in Washington, DC, and many of us are seeking relief at the neighborhood pool. This year, with a baby to introduce to the pool, it's been a whole new experience. No longer can I throw a towel into the bag
Blog
Aug 12, 2016
Matching the new India country program leader's steps is not for the faint-hearted. Deep diving into PATH's global depth and breadth of work - he knows he is in the right place at the right time. He attributes his move from the private sector to the
Blog
Aug 10, 2016
Eight-year-old Dipesh can tell his class everything about ‘dast' (diarrhea) and what to do if anyone gets diarrhea. He says if oral rehydration salts (ORS) don't give you relief, you need to go see a doctor.
Like Dipesh, many other children in
Blog
Jul 12, 2016
Long-term gut damage, called environmental enteropathy, catalyzes a chain reaction that limits the chances of children and communities to overcome a cycle of poor health.
There's a plot twist in the global landscape of diarrheal disease, and the
Blog
Jul 01, 2016
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Graphics
Jun 21, 2016
This graphic appears in USAID's 2016 Acting on the Call Report.
“This is the story of my life, and it begins the same as everyone else's,” says the narrator of “To Keep a Promise.” It's sweeping and intimate all at once, because it tells the human
Blog
Jun 01, 2016
WaterAid’s media report Caught Short reveals the worst places in the world for childhood stunting.
Globally, one child in every four suffers from stunted growth, which not only affects a child’s height but also impinges on their emotional,
Reports
May 17, 2016
I am often asked why I chose sanitation as a focus area and what makes the India Sanitation Coalition (ISC) different.
My work and interest in water efficiency and also empowerment of women led me to the need for sanitation. In global events I
Blog
Apr 20, 2016
Here at DefeatDD, we love our home planet. We love its mountains, oceans, and rivers, and the beautiful diversity of animals and humans that inhabit it. But on Earth Day and every day, we're thinking about poop.
Everyone poops, and humans have
Blog
Apr 12, 2016
Cholera is an acute diarrheal disease that can lead to rapid dehydration and death if not immediately and correctly treated. While the global burden of cholera is not precisely known, estimates show that there are more than 2 million cases per year
Blog
Mar 18, 2016
World Water Day revelers all over the globe are going #Blue4Water to bring attention to the many stresses on the world's water resources and to underscore how greater investments in water and sanitation will help achieve nearly all of the
Blog
Mar 08, 2016
Children need a nutritious diet to grow healthy and strong. If children don't get key nutrients during these critical early years, the impact can be far-reaching.
Malnutrition and diarrheal disease feed off each other in a relentless loop to
Blog
Feb 03, 2016
Let's be honest. As someone who has worked in child health for many years, I have a particular passion for diarrhea. One of the leading killers of children, but so very preventable and treatable, diarrhea is often on the top of my mind. It doesn'
Blog
Jan 07, 2016
I know of at least two toilet museums (a toilet shaped one in South Korea and Sulabh International Museum of Toilets in India). It would be great if, like many museums, they were just documenting the history of a problem that was solved long ago.
Blog
Jan 01, 2016
DefeatDD and our partners sent Traveling Poo on a journey of self-discovery to find his proper place in the world. Flip through this album to see what lessons he learned along the way. Design credit: Tony Frye Design. These photos are part of a
Photo gallery
Dec 21, 2015
EurekAlert!, December 2015New research by the University of Virginia and icddr,b suggests that food alone is not a solution to malnutrition: new approaches must target gut damage due to infectious disease.Read the full article
Latest news
Dec 17, 2015
The Huffington Post, December 2015Despite UNICEF's latest report that 500 children die daily from lack of water and sanitation, funding levels remain low. UNICEF underscored the urgency of investment and the potential for a loss in gains due to
Latest news
Dec 15, 2015
This study was funded by the National Science Foundation. Blogs featuring this study have appeared on the Center for Disease Dynamics and Economic Policy's website. Ali Akram conducted this work independently and the following does not reflect the
Blog
Dec 07, 2015
Project Syndicate, December 2015A new report from the International Vaccine Access Center shows that nearly three-quarters of the deaths from pneumonia and diarrhea occur in just 15 countries and in the poorest communities. While we've made progress
Latest news
Nov 19, 2015
A toilet as an aspiration? In countries where we take flushing for granted, this perspective might be hard to understand. But when family finances are so scarce that school fees, nutritious food, and even basic health care stretch income beyond its
Blog
Nov 17, 2015
This photo is the November feature for DefeatDD's 2015 toilet calendar. See how we "go" around the world. Photo credit: Marco Betti/WaterAid.
Sandwiched between World Pneumonia Day (November 12) and World Toilet Day (November 19) is this funny week
Blog
Nov 12, 2015
Together, pneumonia and diarrhea kill more children under the age of five each year than any other infectious disease. Luckily, a number of prevention and treatment solutions (like vaccine delivery systems, handwashing/sanitation, antibiotics, and
Blog
Oct 28, 2015
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions are key to preventing diarrheal diseases. Handwashing is an easy way to prevent diarrhea, but is not always practiced. How can we improve the practices of people in countries where diarrheal
Blog
Oct 07, 2015
On October 2nd, India celebrated its one year anniversary of the launch of the Clean India Mission. When I think about how the Government of India aligned Clean India Mission messages in all its flagship programs over the past year, especially in
Blog
Oct 01, 2015
We believe the best social media campaigns are resourceful and creative with content, using it to stimulate discussion beyond the interwebs. After two successful Poo Haiku campaigns, we asked ourselves how DefeatDD could make this leap from digital
Article
Sep 23, 2015
Every family across the world wants the best for their children. But everyday dangers in their environment make diarrhea a common and serious threat: more than half a million children die from diarrhea each year, and millions more are hospitalized
Video
Sep 22, 2015
“The results communicate a clear message: We can choose a better future for the world's children.”
I love that sentence from UNICEF's most recent A Promise Renewed progress report. The fact that we have a choice makes two essential points: (1)
Blog
Sep 01, 2015
In June 2012, the Governments of Ethiopia, India and the United States of America convened the Child Survival Call to Action in Washington, D.C. This high-level forum brought together over 700 representatives from government, civil society and the
Reports
Aug 27, 2015
USAID, August 2015The 2015 Acting on the Call: ending preventable child and maternal deaths report reveals that USAID's maternal and child survival efforts have resulted in nearly 2.5 million more children surviving and 200,000 maternal deaths
Latest news
Aug 14, 2015
As part of the India Sanitation Coalition, WaterAid has been collaborating with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) to enable and support an ecosystem for sustainable sanitation in line with the Clean India Campaign.
Blog
Aug 12, 2015
Suited up and ready to run.
Shortly after the Mile 2 marker, doubt started to creep in. Mile 2 might sound easy enough, but let's clarify one important detail straight off: I am not a runner. Given the choice, I will gladly walk, thank you very
Blog
Jul 15, 2015
It started with more than 500 global health innovations submitted by people in more than 50 countries.
Filtered through more than 60 independent health experts and a rating scale measuring factors like affordability, accessibility, and
Blog
Jul 07, 2015
Pop your poop-corn! It's summer blockbuster season. Getting into the spirit, here's my list of five must-see films that drive home the importance of diarrheal disease (DD) control. Whether funny or tragic, these flicks make our job at DefeatDD a
Blog
Jul 01, 2015
The New York Times, July 2015A new report from WHO/UNICEF warns that while access to clean drinking water has shown considerable improvement, and that the number of children dying from diarrhea have decreased, global progress on sanitation lags
Latest news
Jun 29, 2015
This week, Save the Children India (SCI) will begin implementation of its nationwide Stop Diarrhoea Initiative. Officially launched in India in March with support from Reckitt Benckiser, this Initiative implements the WHO/UNICEF seven-point plan to
Blog
Jun 25, 2015
The Financial Express, June 2015
The India Sanitation Coalition is a partnership among corporations, nonprofits, and the general public to help develop a sustainable way forward for the Swachh Bharat Mission (Clean India).
Read the full article
Latest news
May 27, 2015
For the purpose of our DefeatDD Initiative - which is, of course, to defeat diarrheal disease - we focus interventions that support child health through the age of five. As such, we don't talk about menstrual hygiene a lot, but that doesn't mean we'
Blog
May 21, 2015
NPR, May 2015Chienge, Zambia, has become the first district in southern Africa to end open defecation, with every family having their own toilet.Read the full article
Latest news
May 19, 2015
This post was originally featured on the PATH blog.
Worldwide more than 700 million people lack access to good-quality sources of drinking water. This health inequity has deadly consequences: safe water is critical for preventing diarrheal disease
Blog
May 08, 2015
In 2014, PATH welcomed Dr. Cyril Engmann, a world renowned expert in newborn health and our new director of Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health and Nutrition (MNCHN). That sounds like a lot of disciplines to take on, but Dr. Engmann is used to
Blog
Apr 20, 2015
The Huffington Post, April 2015As part of the blog series "WASH and the MDGs: The Ripple Effect," the DefeatDD team weighs in on why WASH is foundational to child health.Read the full article
Latest news
Apr 08, 2015
The Huffington Post, April 2015Comedian Ron James is lending his voice to the movement to achieve universal access to water, sanitation, and hygiene by 2030 because "toilets and poop are funny, while open defecation and diarrheal diseases are not."
Latest news
Apr 01, 2015
The 50 kilometer drive from Phnom Penh to Ponhea Leu, Kandal province took a good two hours, reminding me of similar roads in India. In Cambodia, on an assignment for Amplify Markets to support businesses providing WASH solutions to low income
Blog
Mar 19, 2015
In March 2014, advocates raised their glasses in a virtual toast to celebrate the lifesaving impact of safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). Then in December 2015, members of Congress clinked their glasses in return through the
Blog
Mar 17, 2015
The Guardian, March 2015 Drawing on data from 54 countries, nearly 40% of health clinics lack access to water, according to a new report by UNICEF and WHO.Read the full article
Latest news
Mar 11, 2015
BRAC, based in Bangladesh, is the largest non-governmental development organization in the world, measured by the number of employees and the number of people it has served. Formerly known as the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, BRAC was
Blog
Mar 05, 2015
Adolescent girls in Maharashtra, India.
Lorelei Goodyear is a senior program officer at PATH and a committed advocate for women's health. Her work on PATH's Healthy Households Initiative empowers women through entrepreneurship that enables their
Blog
Feb 25, 2015
Kolkata, on the eastern part of India, has long been a public health hub. The city boasts of the School of Tropical Medicine, All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED), and the
Blog
Feb 19, 2015
Jordan hanging out with her newest source of inspiration for her work in WASH: her third niece.
Over the last few years with my four nieces and nephews, I have become intimately familiar with breastfeeding, poopy diapers, introductions to solid
Blog
Feb 16, 2015
Thomson Reuters Foundation, February 2015
Despite impressive gains in other areas, India still lags behind in access to safe water and clean toilets. The national Swachh Bharat ("Clean India") campaign represents an unprecented opportunity to make
Latest news
Feb 13, 2015
Zee News, February 2015
India has among the highest child mortality rates from pneumonia and diarrhea in the world. The Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhoea by UNICEF and WHO provides a roadmap that can be
Latest news
Feb 13, 2015
Sanitation is a serious challenge for India. Even though it has had sanitation programmes since the 1950s, more than half the population continues to defecate in the open because toilets are poorly made, because they do not have a toilet, or because
Blog
Feb 03, 2015
A full circle moment: My son receives his rotavirus vaccine.
With the measles outbreak dominating the US vaccine-related news (and jeopardizing a trip my two-month old baby and I planned to take to visit family in southern California), I wanted
Blog
Jan 26, 2015
Photo credit: Marco Betti, WaterAid.
See more photos from DefeatDD's 2015 toilet calendar: "Oh, the places we go: Public health's humble hero"
Now that India has the political commitment at the highest level to strive towards an open defecation-
Blog
Jan 20, 2015
The Hindu Business Line, January 2015 Jack Sim, sanitation champion and founder of the World Toilet Organization, discusses the business approach for how people do their business. Toilets must be a status symbol, he says, if India is going to solve
Latest news
Jan 09, 2015
Wired, January 2015From sewer sludge to clean water to Bill Gates himself, all within five minutes, the innovative Omniprocessor could revolutionize sanitation in low income countries.Read the full article
Latest news
Jan 01, 2015
A growing body of evidence indicates that access to safe drinking-water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services has an important positive impact on nutrition. Achieving the six Global Nutrition Targets 2025, as well as global goals for WASH and
Reports
Jan 01, 2015
Make every day World Toilet Day! Help us raise awareness for sanitation by poo-rusing, liking, and sharing these images from our 2015 toilet calendar, "Oh, the places we go: Public health's humble hero." Then download your own copy here --> http
Photo gallery
Jan 01, 2015
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – the framework that has been a key part of efforts to build a better world for the past 15 years – challenged the global community to reduce by half the proportion of the population without safe drinking
Reports
Dec 29, 2014
NPR, December 2014
Floating toilets for floating villeages in Cambodia do double duty by providing sanitation and keeping rivers clean.
Read the full article
Latest news
Dec 22, 2014
With two college-going children - pardon - adults in the house - it is difficult to recall them reaching their fifth year milestone. I still recall, though, the amazement that often came from friends and family in the larger cities of India (who
Blog
Dec 19, 2014
BBC News, December 2014
A new report by WaterAid, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the World Health Organization, and other global health bodies calls for greater attention to basic sanitation in health facilities to prevent
Latest news
Dec 11, 2014
The New York Times, December 2014
Drug-resistant "superbugs" are taking a deadly toll on an already troubling newborn survival rate in India. Bacteria spread through open defecation is a significant contributor to the problem.
Read the full
Latest news
Nov 14, 2014
The New York Times, November 2014
In India, experts gathered for a conference entitled "Stop Stunting" to discuss the connection poor sanitation and malnutrition. The problem is exacerbated by open defecation in India; even if families have a
Latest news
Nov 06, 2014
UN News Centre, November 2014According to the UN Deputy Secretary-General, speaking at the World Water Summit, conflict, climate change, and urbanization all pose threats to already-scarce water resources worldwide. Water management, improved
Latest news
Oct 15, 2014
“Shh” is a very important sound in my toddler's ever-expanding lexicon. The dominant - or, at the very least, the most fun - sound in many of her attempts at communication, “shh” can mean fish, shoe, brush. It can tell Mommy to please stop reading
Blog
Oct 10, 2014
The Huffington Post, October 2014It is an exciting time for groups who have spent years trying to break the taboo around poo, says WaterAid CEO Sarina Prabasi: "If we've seen anything over the course of the last months, it's that world leaders,
Latest news
Oct 01, 2014
In a swampy field in Western Kenya, an energetic Alfred Ochola surveys the crowd. All eyes are on him as he rolls up his pants, wades into a muddy stream, and fills a bucket with dirty water.
Special Features
Sep 12, 2014
Last year around this time, we had our doubts about whether a toilet calendar concept would fly - or whether it would get flushed down the drain (I know, I know - I can't help myself).
I remember our graphic designer's trepidation; a toilet-themed
Blog
Aug 27, 2014
Each year, on October 15, over two hundred million people gather together in countries around the world and celebrate Global Handwashing Day. This international day of advocacy and action shines a spotlight on the state of handwashing in each
Blog
Jul 16, 2014
Why is it that many children in the developed world don't get sick from drinking water? Is there something in the water? Or is it actually what's not in the water?
In the poorest regions of the world, children don't have access to safe drinking
Blog
Jun 30, 2014
In two short weeks, my daughter will turn one year old. Looking back at her newborn photos, I wonder how this year went by so quickly. How could that wrinkly creature who could scarcely open her eyes or control her little limbs now be this
Blog
Jun 12, 2014
Dr. Desmond Chavasse, the Senior Vice President of Malaria and Child Survival for PSI's programs, recently traveled to Bihar, India to gain a deep understanding of PSI's largest market-based sanitation program, 3SI: Supporting Sustainable
Blog
Jun 02, 2014
If there was a way to save half a million children's lives every year, wouldn't you join that movement?
Get looped in to the global movement to defeat diarrheal disease.
Video
May 28, 2014
May 28th is Menstrual Hygiene Day! Though my excitement has occasionally been met with raised eyebrows and puzzled expressions, I couldn't be more thrilled for the global attention to this crucial yet neglected issue.
You see, like diarrhea,
Blog
May 21, 2014
If you move in global health circles, you may have had the good fortune to meet soccer star (and ONE Campaign Global Health Policy Director) Erin Hohlfelder. In her recent blog, she reflects on how access to lifesaving immunizations gave her the
Blog
Apr 16, 2014
When you survey the low income area of Ndirande, Blantyre in Malawi from the crest of a hill you notice the density of the homes mashed together, the uneven, almost crater-like nature of the unpaved roads, and the sites and the sounds of a town.
Blog
Apr 10, 2014
James Chauvin during a hike at Table Mountain, Cape Town (South Africa).
Communications Officer Sushmita Malaviya interviews James Chauvin, President of the World Federation of Public Health Associations and Co-Chair of the 14th World Congress on
Blog
Apr 02, 2014
In February, the Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing hosted a Handwashing Behavior Change Think Tank. This event gathered handwashing experts from the public and private sectors to take stock of the best, identify the gaps, and
Blog
Mar 26, 2014
One of my brothers recently asked me, “What was the happiest day of your life?” My response: “The days your sons were born!” My happiness was directly linked to boys' safe delivery and arrival in this world. I adore my nephews - now one and
Blog
Mar 19, 2014
Think about all the ways you used water in your daily routine this morning. You probably showered, brushed your teeth, used the toilet, washed your hands, all before making a cup of coffee with water whose safety you assumed without question. It
Blog
Mar 01, 2014
Every year on World Water Day (March 22), we celebrate the lifesaving impact of water, a basic need that connects us all, regardless of where we live. In March 2014, we invited advocates to raise a glass with us.
On behalf of the World Water
Article
Feb 24, 2014
BioSpectrum, February 2014Diarrhea kills 100,000 children in India each year. Simple measures and an integrated approach could change this.Read the full article
Latest news
Feb 12, 2014
Sadly, this disco throne from WaterAid in America's 2010 World Toilet Day festivities was not available at the bathroom emporium.
You've heard of shopping, of course. Clothes shopping, grocery shopping, even furniture shopping. But how many of
Blog
Jan 01, 2014
The medium: photography. The product: a calendar. The muse: the toilet. In 2013, contestants submitted their visual ode to commodes on social media using #placeswego for the chance to appear in DefeatDD's 2014 Places We Go calendar. Here are the
Photo gallery
Dec 19, 2013
The mothers' group in Chorm Trach meets to discuss preventing and treating diarrhea. Photo: PATH/Anne Aumell.
Originally posted on the PATH blog.
PATH's Anne Aumell, a member of our Development team, traveled recently in Southeast Asia,
Blog
Dec 04, 2013
As Co-Chair of the All Party Group for Child Health and Vaccine Preventable Diseases, I have been extremely fortunate to visit a number public health programmes in the developing world. With each visit I have been privileged to meet with some of
Blog
Nov 18, 2013
Celebrate the toilet every day of the year! Download and print your own copy of “Oh, the places we go: Public health’s humble hero,” hang it proudly in your cube (or bathroom), and share with friends!We recommend printing the calendar on 11x17 paper
Other
Nov 18, 2013
Today, November 19, is World Toilet Day. But unless you only plan on using the toilet once a year, we think it makes sense to celebrate this unsung hero every day.
That's why today, without further a-doo, we launch our long-awaited 2014
Blog
Nov 12, 2013
Global Coalition Against Child Pneumonia, November 2013The Global Coalition Against Child Pneumonia calls for continued investment in innovations, proven tools, and an integrated approach to simultaneously tackle diarrhea, as outlined in the Global
Latest news
Nov 07, 2013
I took my son to the doctor recently. In one office, during one visit, he had a physical check-up, vision and hearing exams, and he received counseling on nutrition, and several vaccines. While to many parents around this world, this is unremarkable
Blog
Oct 15, 2013
PATH's team tested designs for hand-washing stations with all ages. Photo: PATH/Walter Thorn.
Originally posted on the PATH blog
Think about how you wash your hands. Are you happy with the process?
If you live in a place where scented
Blog
Oct 10, 2013
There's a story that haunts me in child health. It's the story of the child who successfully fights an episode of malaria one year because she got the right medicine at the right time but the following year, after a severe episode of pneumonia,
Blog
Sep 25, 2013
An early submission from World Bank/Water and Sanitation Program: Toni Sittoni.
I won't lie to you. When I told our graphic designer about our idea, he was skeptical (maybe even a little freaked out). A calendar of toilets?! I'll admit, it's
Blog
Sep 13, 2013
UNICEF, September 2013UNICEF has released the second report in the A Promise Renewed series, which tracks global progress on preventing child mortality. Some of the poorest countries have made the most progress, but there is still more to be done if
Latest news
Sep 05, 2013
Huffington Post, September 2013As World Water Week 2013 is underway in Stockholm, Jan Eliasson, UN deputy secretary-general, calls for more conversation about overlooked, taboo topics like open defecation.Read the full article
Latest news
Jul 26, 2013
United Nations News Centre, July 2013The United Nations has adopted a Sanitation for All resolution and officially recognized November 19th as World Toilet Day.Read the full press release
Latest news
Jul 10, 2013
Because unsafe water supplies and sanitation account for most life-threatening diseases among children in developing countries, the provision of safe water and improved hygiene is a central focus of global health projects. And in addition to
Blog
Jun 12, 2013
On June 8, Prime Minister David Cameron hosted a Hunger Summit, Nutrition for Growth: Beating Hunger through Business and Science, to highlight the issue of hunger and undernutrition ahead of the G8 Summit in Belfast. The summit brought together
Blog
Jun 05, 2013
According to UNICEF, diarrhea is a leading cause of death in children under the age of five. It causes more deaths than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined. Diseases caused by diarrhea are most often spread through person-to-person contact or
Blog
May 09, 2013
One year ago this month, the plans were well underway - plenty of ideas, not too many specifics, and uncontainable excitement: The defeatDD team was heading to Zambia!
I had actually been once already, before joining PATH. Nine years prior,
Blog
May 02, 2013
Huffington Post, April 2013David Winder, Chief Executive of WaterAid, notes that problems like unsafe drinking water, lack of sanitation, and poor hygiene are exacerbated by a lack of education about their health impact. He cites the new Global
Latest news
May 01, 2013
Schools are cosmopolitan meccas for all types of bacteria and viruses. Whether in the United States, Haiti, Malaysia, or Angola, schools are breeding grounds for a dangerous mix of recurring gastrointestinal illness. The sheer amount of
Blog
Apr 24, 2013
We can prevent 95% of deaths from diarrhea and 65% of deaths from pneumonia by scaling up cost-effective interventions. How cool is that? That was the bottom line from US AID's briefing about the Integrated Global Action Plan for the Prevention and
Blog
Apr 17, 2013
Zambia is leading the charge to defeat diarrhea. The country serves as a model for the successful integration of policies, education, safe drinking water, rotavirus vaccines, and ORS/zinc.
Video: PATH; Photos: PATH/Gareth Bentley.
Video
Apr 11, 2013
This week, we celebrate integration. Though it is intrinsically at the heart of what we and our partners do in addressing myriad global health challenges through thoughtful, efficient strategies, today integration is particularly at the fore. For
Blog
Apr 10, 2013
Share these photos on Facebook and Twitter to help spread the word about the GAPPD: the first global plan to simultaneously tackle pneumonia and diarrhoea, two leading child killers.
Suggested Facebook status:
With a global plan to tackle
Graphics
Apr 05, 2013
Dr. George Armah, Senior Research Fellow and Associate Professor, University of Ghana
Dr. Roma Chilengi, Country Lead, Absolute Return for Kids, Zambia
Dr. Chris Elemuwa, National Pneumonia Focal Point, National Primary Health Care Development
Other
Apr 05, 2013
Dr. Shams El Arifeen, Director, The Centre for Child and Adolescent Health, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, at ICDDR,B (icddr,b)
Dr. Lulu Bravo, Professor of Paediatric Infectious and Tropical Diseases, University of the
Other
Apr 05, 2013
This advocacy toolkit is designed to assist civil society organisations (CSOs), nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), and other advocacy groups or individuals to advocate for the successful implementation of the recommendations of the Integrated
Toolkits
Apr 05, 2013
Dr. Koki Agarwal, Director, Maternal & Child Health Integrated Program (MCHIP)
Dr. Greg Allgood, Director and Founder, Proctor & Gamble Children’s Safe Drinking Water Programme
Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of the GAVI Alliance
Dr. Thomas Brewer
Other
Apr 05, 2013
Leaders of global and national NGOs, scientists, pediatricians, academics, and policymakers have issued statements to support the implementation of the GAPPD framework. To read through leader statements categorized by region, click the links below
Other
Apr 05, 2013
Diverse Array of NGOs and CSOs Call on Governments and Partners to
Make Global Action Plan a Reality
Statement of Support for the Integrated Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhoea
Click here to view the
Other
Apr 05, 2013
EMBARGOED for Release:
01:01 Geneva local time
00:01 London local time
Friday, April 12, 2013
Other
Apr 05, 2013
Full report: Integrated Global Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhoea (GAPPD) (PDF, 763 KB)
Authors: UNICEF and WHO
Published: April 2013
GAPPD report resources:
Executive summary: in English and French
Summary:
Reports
Mar 25, 2013
This past Friday was World Water Day and an opportunity to celebrate the excellent work being doing to promote water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in the developing world. The UK has played a leading role in making WASH a priority for
Blog
Mar 22, 2013
Schools are important focal points for communities. These students in Mazabuka, Zambia, are teachers for their peers, families, and communities about the importance of safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene. They also know a thing or two about
Video
Mar 21, 2013
A young girl in Haiti carries water.
What if we lost 32 school buses full of children today? That's 2,195 children—the number who die daily of diarrhea around the world. That's more than die from AIDS, malaria, and measles combined.
As World
Blog
Mar 20, 2013
The Ebubala Primary School health teacher describes how to use the SE200 to students and parents.
While I waited to board my plane en route to Kenya in September 2012, I was reading the newspaper, hoping for good news about the teacher strikes in
Blog
Mar 13, 2013
Reposted from makingmalariahistory.org.
Last week, the Washington Global Health Alliance held its “Experience Global Health” exhibit on Capitol Hill. The unique, multi-sensory event presented stories of global health struggles (like malaria
Blog
Feb 20, 2013
On March 15, the UK will celebrate Comic Relief, one of the landmark dates in the calendar for raising public awareness of the effects of poverty, disease and instability in the developing world. From now until then, children and adults up and
Blog
Jan 28, 2013
IRIN, January 2013Targeting areas known as "cholera hotbeds" could be key to reaching the Millennium Development Goal of reducing by half the number of people worldwide who lack access to safe water, according to aid groups.Read the full article.
Latest news
Jan 23, 2013
Reposted from path.org.
In Cambodia, an innovative idea to treat pneumonia and diarrhea at the same time—profiled in this post—was so successful that the Ministry of Health plans to join with us and UNICEF to extend the project throughout
Blog
Jan 08, 2013
Forbes, January 2013In a recent in-depth interview conducted by the Skoll World Forum‘s Rahim Kanani, Executive Director of UNICEF Anthony Lake discussed the urgent need to create a commodities market of life-saving medicines in the developing world
Latest news
Jan 01, 2013
This presentation gives a concise overview of the problem of diarrheal disease, the solutions and the ways to take action on this issue. Use the full presentation, or pull content from the slides to incorporate them into your own presentations. This
Presentations
Dec 20, 2012
A community meeting to receive health messages from a CHW.
Community-level perception of a public health intervention is tantamount to the success or failure of its uptake. Programs generated in the West can often be perceived as irrelevant,
Blog
Nov 30, 2012
PATH press release, November 2012With a new grant from the Starbucks Foundation, PATH will address water, sanitation, and hygiene in coffee-growing communities in Tanzania.Read the full press release.
Latest news
Nov 21, 2012
Originally published on Politics Home.
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome World Toilet Day, an annual event which takes place on the 19th of November to highlight the fact that many people in the developing world lack access to a
Blog
Nov 20, 2012
Did you see the blog posts yesterday (World Toilet Day) from elected officials in the United States reminding us of the importance of safe toilets for the health and safety of children and communities? Oh, that's right, there weren't any.
But
Blog
Nov 19, 2012
The sanitation problem is huge - if you're reading this blog you're probably well aware that 2.5 billion people, or one in three people in the entire world, don't have access to a clean toilet. That leads to a hell of a lot of diarrhea-related
Blog
Nov 12, 2012
On a recent visit to a local children's ward in the northern part of Ethiopia over 70% of the children were suffering from pneumonia. When a child in this region goes to the hospital, most often the parents move in as well, sleeping in the same
Blog
Nov 06, 2012
Hurricane Sandy brushed lightly by Chapel Hill as the annual UNC Water and Health conference unfolded. I was sucked into the conference right from the start, even missing the wild Halloween scene on Franklin Street! As in previous years, I was
Blog
Nov 05, 2012
PATH's Safe Water Project summarizes its findings in a new publication.
If households living on just a few dollars per day can purchase soap, shampoo, and cell phone minutes, they ought to have access to products that purify their drinking water.
Blog
Oct 24, 2012
Schoolchildren in rural Mazabuka Province, a 3 hour drive out of Lusaka, Zambia, are learning vital lessons in water, sanitation, and hygiene. Part of an integrated approach involving infrastructure improvements, capacity development, and peer
Blog
Oct 19, 2012
AlertNet, October 2012The London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and SHARE, a sanitation and hygiene research initiative funded by the UK's Department of International Development, have co-organized a month-long exhibition on sanitation that
Latest news
Oct 15, 2012
Janet Mbawo, Maternal and Child Health Coordinator and District Health Officer in Kafue, Zambia, describes the hygiene messages that community health workers and clinicians teach mothers and schoolchildren, such as handwashing with soap at critical
Video
Oct 15, 2012
"Together, we shall fight diarrhea!"
In this clip, students at Mukuyu Basic School in rural Mazabuka, Zambia, showcase their health knowledge by performing pooetry. We like their style!
Click through our photo album to see more student activities
Video
Sep 25, 2012
Dennis Malambo is Kabulanga Branch Manager for Lusaka Water and Sewerage.
Zambia’s capital city, Lusaka, is growing rapidly and it is not slowing down. The country’s population is projected to increase exponentially by the end of the century – the
Blog
Sep 17, 2012
Christian Science Monitor, September 2012The East Meets West Foundation tries cash awards to encourage families and communities in Vietnam and Cambodia to build latrines and hand-washing devices.Read the full article
Latest news
Sep 13, 2012
UNICEF, September 2012Data released by UNICEF show that the number of children under the age of 5 dying globally has dropped from nearly 12 million in 1990 to an estimated 6.9 million in 2011. Though the progress is remarkable and worth celebrating
Latest news
Aug 27, 2012
Where else but a Toilet Fair could one encounter an evening of stimulating conversation… about poop? The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation proudly presented the chance to mingle with some of the most innovative, creative minds applying their
Blog
Aug 17, 2012
Everywhere we went in Zambia, there were reminders of water. There were the fantastic and inspiring people we met working on WASH programs, of course, whose magnitude and potential—and impact already—is certainly worth notice. But there were
Blog
Aug 16, 2012
The Economist, August 2012The Gates Foundation announces the winners of the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge, which aims to bring safe, affordable and sustainable toilets to the 40% of the world’s population who lack access to basic sanitation.Read the
Latest news
Aug 01, 2012
On January 12, 2010, life was forever changed in Haiti. It wasn't only the earthquake damage - the deaths, the destroyed buildings - it was the disaster that ultimately introduced cholera into Haiti. On October 17, 2010, the first cholera death
Blog
Aug 01, 2012
Mothers and fathers in Mukuyu village attend community meetings to learn about safe practices to keep their children healthy and safe. Their community health worker teaches them about handwashing, sanitation, and the simple salt and sugar formula to
Photo gallery
Aug 01, 2012
In 2009-2011, Africare, in partnership with UNICEF, implemented WASH programs in rural Zambian schools. They constructed latrines and handwashing stations, implemented school-led-total-sanitation to end open defecation, and mentored students to
Photo gallery
Jul 13, 2012
Ten years of development work, and this week marked my first visit to an African health care clinic. The waiting room was tiny, tight, and filled with weary anxiety. The bottom line being that, despite my own excitement, the women and children in
Blog
Jul 12, 2012
I don't think any of us expected to be deeply moved during an informational interview at Zambia's Ministry of Health, a stop typically made to gather facts and figures rather than inspiration.
In a crowded room with thick binders filling an
Blog
Jul 05, 2012
Infectious disease isn't the only thing that can go viral these days. Facebook posts and tweets can, too, which makes social media pretty powerful stuff.
At defeatDD, we spend a lot of time thinking about how we can harness the potential of
Blog
Jul 03, 2012
Countdown to 2015, June 2012The 2012 Countdown to 2015 Report, Building a Future for Women and Children, highlights country progress—and obstacles to progress—towards achieving Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 to reduce child mortality and
Latest news
Jun 20, 2012
“Oh, Stephanie, NO. Not while we're eating our dinner!”
This is how the conversation usually goes when my parents make the mistake of asking me how my job is going over a family meal. I have become so used to discussing this subject, I forget
Blog
Jun 14, 2012
As health leaders from around the globe gather for the Child Survival Call to Action, it is heartening to see India take a leadership role as co-convener of the Summit. Ghulam Nabi Azad, Minister of Health and Family Welfare for India, will help
Blog
Jun 08, 2012
UNICEF, June 2012A new report from UNICEF focuses on the huge potential to narrow the child survival gap between the richest and the poorest by focusing on pneumonia and diarrhoea – the two primary killers of children under the age of five. The new
Latest news
May 31, 2012
I am a Program Assistant. For most, understandably, this job title does not conjure a vivid illustration of the role. As I describe it to interested family and friends, my day-to-day entails assembling proposals, reports, and presentations,
Blog
May 16, 2012
I didn't notice Savita Rai at first. I was too busy watching the mothers' group. I was in her Indian village to see how PATH's Sure Start project was transforming a devastating situation—high rates of maternal and newborn deaths—into one of hope
Blog
May 11, 2012
PATH welcomes the encouraging news published in the Lancet today that global child deaths continue to decrease, while also recognizing that the fight is far from over. Childhood diarrhea and pneumonia claim a combined 2 million lives annually and
Latest news
May 02, 2012
At USAID's "Every Child Deserves a 5th Birthday" briefing, USAID Administrator Raj Shah proudly displays a photo of one of his little ones, who had just graduated from her play group.
I've always had a soft spot for revolutionary people and ideas,
Blog
Apr 23, 2012
“A mother and child wait for you to return home” and put your commitments into action was the challenge from Liberian President Ellen Sirleaf Johnson to delegates at the Ministerial meeting of "Sanitation and Water for All" (SWA) on Friday. She
Blog
Apr 19, 2012
In Mandwa and Anji villages, approximately 100 kilometers from Nagpur (Maharashtra, India), several families have taken to two simple practices. One, fixing plastic taps to the earthen pots in which they store drinking water and/or adding a few
Blog
Apr 09, 2012
How can we stop millions of deaths from diarrhea? With simple solutions. Just listen...
Video
Mar 19, 2012
As Vice President of Field Programs at PATH, I appreciate efforts like World Water Day that call for universal access to the solutions that are the foundation to the health and well-being of communities. I appreciate these efforts both as a
Blog
Mar 14, 2012
Summer 2006, rural China: My colleagues and I take a bathroom break at a rest stop on the side of the road on our way to a health clinic. Unlike many female restrooms around the world, there isn't a long line of patrons waiting to use the holes in
Blog
Mar 12, 2012
The Guardian, March 2012The MDG target to halve the number of people who lack access to safe drinking water has been met years ahead of schedule, but the good news is tempered with a warning that the sanitation MDG target is lagging behind.Read the
Latest news
Mar 09, 2012
Reposted with permission from The DigDeep Right to Water Project.
This blog post is about girls - one in particular - and her name is Nombinqo.
It's not fair to say Nombinqo grew up in rural South Africa. Growing up implies so many things - a
Blog
Mar 02, 2012
Do you remember how your mom took care of you when you got sick?
Moms everywhere want to take care of their kids. Diarrhea can be deadly, but mothers have hope when they have access to simple solutions. Proven, affordable tools should be at-hand for
Video
Feb 15, 2012
I have traveled to Africa three times in the past six years. Prior to 2006, I pictured myself in the advertising business, living in a sweet apartment in Manhattan, and, making money. Then my 2-year relationship ended and I wanted to go somewhere
Blog
Feb 08, 2012
The 1,000 days between a woman's pregnancy and her child's 2nd birthday represent a critical but short window of time to ensure a child's future health and prosperity. Children who are well-nourished during this critical window reap a lifetime of
Blog
Jan 25, 2012
A child at a new water point in Rwanda.
Last month, I joined the international development community in celebrating the bipartisan introduction of the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2012 in the House of Representatives. It is needed
Blog
Nov 01, 2011
This fact sheet summarizes PATH's projects in Vietnam that aimed to reduce childhood illness and death from diarrhea. Efforts included collaborations to update guidelines for health workers, clinical trials of rotavirus vaccines, and household water
Factsheets
Oct 27, 2011
LiveScience, October 2011On October 31, 2011, the 7 billionth person will join the world. Population growth makes worldwide access to adequate sanitation more important than ever, but we still have a long way to go.Read the full article
Latest news
Oct 18, 2011
allAfrica, October 2011On October 15, countries all around the world celebrated Global Handwashing Day. In Kenya, the public health and sanitation minister highlighted diarrheal disease while participating at a PATH-sponsored Global Handwashing Day
Latest news
Oct 12, 2011
Last week I attended a briefing on Capitol Hill, part of a series focused on showcasing the Power of 1% of the US budget that goes to foreign assistance. The series was intended to garner support from Americans and our country's leaders for
Blog
Sep 16, 2011
Each year new challenges surface across the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector, yet with proven solutions these challenges are solvable. The problem is sometimes the proven solutions need a technological leg-up. Let's be clear,
Blog
Sep 14, 2011
Call it what you will: joining up or combining interventions, integration or disaggregation. Whatever you call it, it is essential to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and to alleviating poverty and disease. We can't agree more with
Blog
Aug 25, 2011
Reposted with permission from End the Neglect
In my work to raise awareness about the global burden of diarrheal disease, I read a lot about the many benefits of safe water and sanitation, including the promise it holds for girls and women. But
Blog
Aug 16, 2011
Data & Reports: Water & Sanitation (resources are listed chronologically)
Sanitation Message Map
PATH, 2015
(33 KB PDF)
Improving nutrition outcomes through better water, sanitation, and hygieneWHO, UNICEF, and USAID, 2015
Progress on
Other
Aug 15, 2011
Washington Post, August 2011How is American aid helping Liberia? In this op-ed, Liberian President and WaterAid goodwill ambassador highlights the importance of water and sanitation -- and the generosity of the American people.Read the full article
Latest news
Aug 10, 2011
One of the challenges facing peri-urban areas like Cochabamba, Bolivia, is a growing population with little access to basic water and sanitation services. This results in diarrhea and other sickness and sometimes death.
The legal barrier is
Blog
Jul 28, 2011
The Economist, July 2011Many low-resource countries suffer routine outbreaks of cholera and other diarrheal diseases that could be overcome by increased access to clean water and sanitation -- but only innovation will spur a solution.Read the full
Latest news
Jul 28, 2011
Huffington Post, July 2011A new blog post from Ambassador Jan Eliasson, Chair of WaterAid in Sweden and former President of the UN General Assembly, on the role of water and sanitation in peacebuilding in Liberia.Read the full article
Latest news
Jul 21, 2011
Over 800 delegates and 35 ministers from African countries are in Rwanda for a three-day conference that aims at improving sanitation and hygiene to prevent illnesses like diarrhoea.
Officials highlighted that 230 million people in Africa still
Blog
Jul 21, 2011
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, July 2011At the AfricaSan3 Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, the Gates Foundation announced their new sanitation strategy. With a focus on new and innovative approaches to "reinvent the toilet," the foundation seeks to
Latest news
Jul 13, 2011
How can we make an impact on child health in far-away countries for those of us who are working from our desks in the US?
We think this is an incredibly important question, and so do our Facebook friends. In fact, when we recently interviewed
Blog
Jun 22, 2011
Alfred Ochola points to the title of his panel at the Global Health Conference: "WaSHing (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) to Improve Health in Developing Countries: Opportunities and Obstacles."
I was thrilled when I learned that Alfred, our
Blog
Jun 14, 2011
Today marks the second day of the Global Health Council's 38th annual International Conference in Washington, DC and events are in full swing. Spanning the entire week, global health professionals and organizations from all over the world gather
Blog
May 26, 2011
A health care worker demonstrates simple and effective hand-washing techniques.
"You can be extremely poor but extremely clean." If there ever was a statement that dispelled assumptions about the correlation between hygiene and poverty, it was this
Blog
May 16, 2011
WaterAid, May 2011"For the first time in 20 years the World Health Assembly, WHO’s highest policy-making body, will consider a Resolution on drinking-water, sanitation and health at its 64th Assembly which opens on Monday 16 May. The Government of
Latest news
May 16, 2011
Yael Velleman, WaterAid, is on hand at the World Health Assembly to make certain that safe water and sanitation gets the attention it deserves.
Summer is almost here - and with it come the holidays, and necessarily the flights to far and exotic
Blog
May 16, 2011
WaterAid, May 2011This year at the World Health Assembly, WaterAid is is calling for urgent action on two debilitating water-borne diseases: guinea worm and cholera, both of which have devastating effects in poor countries. "Half of the developing
Latest news
May 09, 2011
End Water Poverty campaigners take message from 350,000 World Walks for Water participants to the UN
It's an exciting moment for water and sanitation campaigners at End Water Poverty, as we're about to take the footsteps and voices of the 350,000 people who joined the World Walks for Water in March to world leaders at the United Nations
Blog
May 09, 2011
End Water Poverty, May 2011"Over 350,000 people have called for leaders at this week's United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC-IV) in Istanbul to urgently tackle the world water and sanitation crisis, with campaigners warning
Latest news
May 01, 2011
Half of the people living in developing countries do not have access to even a basic toilet. This presents a major risk to public health. Diseases attributable to poor sanitation currently kill more children globally than AIDS, malaria and measles
Reports
Apr 28, 2011
Voice of America, April 2011"The U.S. State Department says roughly 900 million people in the developing world walk an average of six kilometers to get water for their families. So on Wednesday, the department sponsored a six-kilometer walk to
Latest news
Apr 19, 2011
It's been a year since defeatDD was born. Back then, I blogged about how diarrhea was often a joke at the party, but less often a serious contender for action in the world of global health. Over the past year, I've started to think maybe I was
Blog
Apr 14, 2011
In the village of Kamusinga, Kenya, parents learn about basic diarrheal disease prevention strategies from a community health volunteer.
Memories of my stay in the bustling border town of Busia, Kenya, fill me with optimism. Last October, I
Blog
Apr 06, 2011
In this photo, Shawn Shafner, founder of The POOP Project, meditates about cultural healing on a Zurn toilet at the 2010 American Society of Plumbing Engineers Conference in Philadelphia, PA.
My sister Shannon was an expert. By the time I started
Blog
Apr 04, 2011
On World Water Day, a day on which people around the world joined together to recognize the importance of safe drinking water, adequate sanitation and hygiene education (WASH), I spent the morning thinking about the number of children who do not
Blog
Mar 28, 2011
Treehugger, March 2011A team of eleven climbers began a week long summit of Tanzania's Mt Kilimanjaro, in an effort to raise nearly $75,000 for The Water School, an international non-profit dedicated to bringing clean drinking water to the
Latest news
Mar 28, 2011
On World Water Day, March 22 2011, people around the world celebrated clean water and explored solutions for the world's biggest environmental health crisis - the lack of safe water and sanitation.
Killing more children each year than AIDS,
Blog
Mar 25, 2011
Voice of America, March 2011More than a million young children die each year from diarrhea, even though there's no secret about how to prevent or treat it. Now, public health experts have developed a new report showing that the vast majority of
Latest news
Mar 14, 2011
Next Tuesday, March 22, is World Water Day. As the leader of an organization committed to improving the health of communities in developing countries, I am thrilled to see that momentum is growing - across the US and globally - for reaching the
Blog
Mar 08, 2011
Women in Uttar Pradesh, India, receiving pump maintenance training from WaterAid's local partner Gramonati Sansthan. Photo credit: WaterAid / Marco Betti
While I've been working on international women's rights for years, I am new to looking
Blog
Mar 02, 2011
It is perhaps no small irony that the topic of conversation least likely to be the center of a case of verbal diarrhea is diarrhea itself.Despite the scandalous statistics associated with diarrheal diseases and its impact in developing countries
Blog
Feb 28, 2011
“Sanitation and drinking-water… is the key to development, human progress and dignity. Water defines our health, and for the World Health Organisation, there is no health without sanitation and drinking water,” states Dr. Maria Neira, Director of
Blog
Feb 23, 2011
Overcoming taboo can be pretty tricky with teenage girls.
But given the facts—like frightening stats that convey the fear and harassment girls confront every day in schools without appropriate facilities, or the availability of simple solutions
Blog
Feb 21, 2011
Norman Bates doesn't make an appearance in this clip, but another killer does. This awareness-raising video was made for World Water Day 2009.
Video
Feb 18, 2011
End Water Poverty knows about the water and sanitation crisis that's killing 4000 children a day.
We know that it's a crisis affecting 2.6 billion people and threatening the development of many countries across Africa and South Asia. We also know
Blog
Feb 09, 2011
One of the simple pleasures of making field trips to rural Kenya are the meals served at road side restaurants.
These meals are fresh, fast and finger-licking good! Often served in modest (read inexpensive) road side eating houses, just enough
Blog
Feb 02, 2011
I typically wouldn't consider having to “go” a cause for celebration.
But having a place to “go”—whenever, wherever—now there's a reason to rejoice. Last November, I was on hand as WaterAid and the King County Library system brought this message to
Blog
Jan 27, 2011
Haiti was the first country outside of North America I ever traveled to, in January 2001, to complete my Master's research on a filtration/chlorination household water treatment system.
I remember being shocked at the poverty, but not in an
Blog
Jan 25, 2011
End Water Poverty is really moving on as a campaign and last week's planning meeting marked a great step forward.
Campaigners from 14 countries came together to celebrate our successes, to assess the current situation and to plan the way forward
Blog
Jan 19, 2011
Years ago, while working in El Salvador, I learned the Latin American gesture for diarrhea - a quick brushing of one hand, fingers pursed, across the open palm the other, and then a dramatic splaying of the fingers.
More often than not, I saw this
Blog
Jan 10, 2011
There is no single intervention that will improve global health faster than providing access to clean water, improved sanitation and hygiene education to literally 1/3 of the world's population.
The statistics are staggering. Nearly one billion
Blog
Dec 21, 2010
Reuters, December 2010
A lack of toilets and poor hygiene practices in India cost Asia's third largest economy almost $54 billion every year, the World Bank said on Monday. Premature deaths, treatment for the sick, wasted time and productivity, as
Latest news
Dec 17, 2010
The New York Times, December 2010Though the cholera epidemic in Haiti has received international attention, ordinary diarrheal diseases have been killing Haitians for years. In fact, diarrhea is the leading killler of children in the country. In his
Latest news
Dec 17, 2010
The Huffington Post, December 2010On December 17, ABC will launch a global health series. In this article, Richard Besser, M.D., ABC News Chief Health and Medical Editor, recalls his first job in public health at the International Center of
Latest news
Dec 15, 2010
To me, a sustainable sanitation service, in very general terms is one where everybody can get access to a toilet and toilet services -- of their choice -- forever.
A lofty goal, for sure, but one that sets in motion very different types of
Blog
Dec 14, 2010
Washington Bangla Radio, December 2010
Communicable diseases, particularly diarrhoeal diseases, are rising at an alarming rate in India. This article outlines some shocking statistics about the impact of unsafe water and poor sanitation in the
Latest news
Dec 08, 2010
Four-part PLoS Medicine series on water and sanitationLinks:
Hygiene, Sanitation, and Water: Forgotten Foundations of Health (387 KB)
Water Supply and Health (1.56 MB)
Sanitation and Health (205 KB)
Hygiene, Sanitation, and Water: What Needs to be
Data
Dec 08, 2010
Many of us have heard the staggering numbers before:
over 880 million people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water; fecally contaminated drinking water contributes to 1.8 million diarrheal disease deaths every year, the majority of which are
Blog
Nov 24, 2010
I spent last Friday evening celebrating toilets and talking to a group of nerds about the deadly global impact of diarrheal disease and the solutions to defeat it.
Public speaking doesn't typically make me nervous, but on Friday, I took advantage
Blog
Nov 19, 2010
We have heard many times that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and, while one might not immediately see the connection between beauty and a toilet, investments in sanitation can literally make the difference between life and death.
This would
Blog
Nov 16, 2010
On an outing long ago with my Aunt Frieda, I needed to use the bathroom.
This struck her as a calamity because she had a horror of public bathrooms, and she was frantic about me not touching any surface in the rather nice and clean department store
Blog
Nov 09, 2010
This week, PATH is co-hosting a symposium - along with the Vietnamese Ministry of Health and Vietnam's National Pediatric Hospital - on the importance of taking an integrated approach to defeating diarrheal disease.
The gathering will bring
Blog
Nov 05, 2010
CNN, November 2010"Humanity is facing a war right now with an enemy that appears to be winning. Although this war is not fought with guns, more people die from this enemy than all the guns and all the other wars in the world combined. What's really
Latest news
Oct 22, 2010
ReliefWeb, October 2010For the third annual Global Handwashing Day, more than 200 million schoolchildren, parents, teachers, celebrities and government officials around the world will lather up, but at the end of the day, they aim to have more than
Latest news
Oct 13, 2010
What will you do to mark the occasion?Last year, Global Handwashing Day was celebrated by over 200 million school children around the world. Find out how you can join by celebrating at your school, organization or community this Friday, October 15.
Blog
Sep 30, 2010
In sub-Saharan and East Africa, inside places like Mozambique and Zambia, owners of some of the most horrifying mortality statistics in the world... ... I would be at the end of my life expectancy 1; I am 42 years old. Andy Rooney of 60 Minutes fame
Blog
Sep 08, 2010
With the devastating flooding in Pakistan, health and aid officials are once again sounding the global alarm to prevent outbreaks of diarrhea.WHO projects that up to 1.5 million cases of diarrheal diseases could occur in Pakistan over the next three
Blog
Sep 08, 2010
Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, September 2010A group of over 2,500 leading water experts from 130 countries gathered in Stockholm on Sunday, September 4, to kick off World Water Week, where they will focus on "increasing water pollution
Latest news
Sep 02, 2010
BBC News, September 2010A group of researchers in South Africa has developed an easy to use, cost-effective filter that can purify water straight from the bottle. Water is poured through a tea bag that filters and kills harmful bacteria. As a side
Latest news
Aug 24, 2010
Reuters Alertnet, August 2010More than 3 million children are at high risk of deadly water-borne diseases in Pakistan, making them the most vulnerable victims of one of the worst natural disasters in history. According to UN humanitarian spokesman
Latest news
Aug 24, 2010
Global Health Magazine, August 2010In this blog, International Relief and Development Pakistan Country Director Sajjad Iman outlines emergency health efforts to curb spread of life-threatening diseases in the flood-ravaged country. Among the primary
Latest news
Aug 18, 2010
In remote villages of Western Kenya, children are asked to bring water to school.
They collect water around the house or along their journey to school each day in a variety of worn containers of varying sizes. They collect surface water often
Blog
Aug 05, 2010
Global Health Magazine, August 2010Nepal has the poorest drinking water and sanitation coverage for its population in South Asia and a correspondingly high rate of waterborne diseases. Read about one school-focused water and sanitation project, the
Latest news
Jul 15, 2010
NOTE: As of November 2020, the Health/WASH Network is now the WASH and Health Interest Group. To join, please subscribe on the CORE Group website.
What is the Health/WASH Network?
The Health/WASH Network is a consortium of development, health,
Other
Jul 12, 2010
BBC News, July 2010In the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, the lack of sanitation is dangerous not only for women's health, but also for women's safety. The new report, Insecurity and Indignity: Women's experiences in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, expose the
Latest news
Jun 23, 2010
I've been traveling the past three weeks in Bangladesh and West Bengal visiting water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) organizations and their field programs.
I've covered a fair amount of ground and have seen the work of international as well as
Blog
Jun 09, 2010
LA Times, June 2010Mitchell Koss begins by noting that sanitation is an invisible issue in the United States, both because the disposal of human waste is an unseen process and an embarrassing, taboo topic. Yet 40% of the world's population lacks
Latest news
Jun 07, 2010
Treehugger, April 2010
A new report shows that more people in India have access to cell phones than to toilets: a fact which highlights the importance of education and implementation of sanitation projects. Basic sanitation is not only necessary,
Latest news
May 28, 2010
Daily Nation, May 2010The report on Kenya’s Situational Analysis and Needs Assessment (SANA) found that 39 per cent of people in rural areas do not have access to proper sanitation comparable to international standards. The study holds environmental
Latest news
May 14, 2010
The Huffington Post, May 2010Joseph Treaster makes some interesting observations from his recent trip to Kenya. "Governments in many developing countries pay very little attention to clean drinking water and toilets and I could see from
Latest news
Apr 23, 2010
World Care Council, April 2010Why is sanitation not receiving the funding and media attention it needs? Jamal Saghir of the World Bank frankly states that toilets, while necessary, are not a "sexy" issue, but if we overcome this barrier we can save
Latest news
Apr 04, 2010
Follow PATH's Alfred Ochola as he demonstrates how simple, cost-effective solutions are defeating diarrheal disease in Western Kenya. Read more about Alfred Ochola on PATH's website.
Video
Mar 31, 2010
No one wants talk about it, but diarrheal disease is the second leading killer of children around the world. Watch this video to find out why and learn how you can add your voice to the growing conversation.
Video
Mar 30, 2010
On March 31, 2010, the Government of Kenya stepped out as a regional leader in the renewed fight against DD—unveiling an updated national policy to manage and control diarrheal disease. The policy, which highlights traditional and new interventions
Other
Mar 12, 2010
One woman’s stand against diarrheal disease
Women rarely hold office in Kenya. Florence Weke-sa is an exception. Currently deputy mayor of Kimilili, Florence is the first woman to hold the position and was the only female councilor on the Kimilili
Blog
Feb 01, 2010
CBS News, February 2010 The acute phase of destruction in Haiti is over, but the second phase of the emergency is still taking its toll: respiratory infections, malnutrition, diarrhea due to unsafe water, and a lack of appropriate food for young
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Feb 01, 2010
The Jakarta Post, February 2010 USAID's clean water and sanitation projects have helped reduce diarrheal disease in Indonesia.Read the full article.
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Jan 01, 2010
Afrique en ligne, January 2010 The "Summit on the Summit" brings together 10 celebrities and global influencers, including Jessica Biel and Kenna Zemedkun, for a week long expedition to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise awareness for clean water.
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Jan 01, 2010
New York Times, January 2010 To usher in the new decade, Bono offers "10 ideas that might make the next 10 years more interesting, healthy, or civil." Rotavirus vaccines make the list.Read the full article.
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Nov 01, 2009
Seattle PI, November 2009 After co-hosting the panel "Toilet Talk" for the occasion of World Toilet Day, Glenn Austin, director of Safe Water Projects at PATH, and Dr. David Winder, acting CEO of WaterAid America, partner to co-author this letter to
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Oct 01, 2009
Treehugger, October 2009 Written for the occasion of Global Handwashing Day, Matthew McDermott draws a direct connection between the global diarrheal disease burden and climate change.Read the full article.
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Oct 01, 2009
UNICEF, October 2009 Several countries around the world conducted activities for Global Handwashing Day. In Zimbabwe, hundreds of community volunteers participated in a campaign that focused on school children as agents of this life-saving behavior
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Oct 01, 2009
UNICEF, October 2009 This press release on the UNICEF website gives an overview of the recently launched report by WHO and UNICEF, Diarrhoeal Why Children Are Still Dying and What Can Be Done. It outlines the topics covered in the report, including
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Oct 01, 2009
Huffington Post, October 2009 While handwashing is on the minds of the American public this flu season, Richard Chin, CEO of OneWorld Health, points out that this simple act should be global priority all year round for its capacity to save lives
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Oct 01, 2009
Washington Post, October 2009
Proper sanitation habits had been a hard sell in India until the "No Toilet, No Bride" campaign. The success of this marketing strategy is evidence of changing attitudes, both for personal hygiene and for women's
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Oct 01, 2009
The Times of India, October 2009
The new report launched by UNICEF and WHO, Diarrhoea: Why children are still dying and what can be done, presents some sobering statistics on the diarrheal disease burden, especially for India. Thankfully, it also
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Oct 01, 2009
ONE, October 2009 This blog summarizes and links to a paper recently published by the Center for Strategies and International Studies (CSIS) Global Health Policy Center: "Enhancing U.S. Leadership on Drinking Water and Sanitation -- Opportunities
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Oct 01, 2009
United Nations Radio, October 2009 "It's a tragedy that diarrhoea, which is little more than an inconvenience in the developed world, kills an estimated 1.5 million children each year says UNICEF Executive Director, Ann Veneman. She says inexpensive
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Oct 01, 2009
Collection Development Blog, October 2009 This article outlines the findings of the new UNICEF/WHO report, Diarrhoea: Why Children Are Still Dying and What Can Be Done, including the seven-point prevention and treatment strategy. Several effective,
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Oct 01, 2009
ONE, October 2009 Dr. Amador, Director of Health Systems and Technology in Nicaragua at PATH, blogs about the incredible strides his country has made in the fight against diarrheal disease, thanks to PATH's partnership to provide the rotavirus
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Sep 01, 2009
New York Times, September 2009 Simple solutions like exclusive breastfeeding and the commitment of community health workers have helped drive down child deaths in the developing world, according to new data from UNICEF. But to reach the Millennium
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Sep 01, 2009
Stories on Malawi, September 2009 PATH's Evan Simpson writes about the importance of an integrated approach in the fight against diarrheal disease. He highlights momentum already happening in Malawi specifically, having just spoken at the annual
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Sep 01, 2009
Hotel Interactive, September 2009 Clean the World is partnering with hotels to recycle used soap for distribution among those in need, offering a creative, environmentally friendly way to fight diarrheal disease.Read the full article.
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Jul 01, 2009
The Huffington Post, July 2009 "While memories of President Obama speech in Ghana promising a 'comprehensive, global health strategy' are fresh, we hope he, Ghanian President John Atta-Mills and other world leaders do not miss an opportunity to
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Jul 01, 2009
The Jakarta Post, July 2009 The author of this article outlines the most frequent causes of diarrhea in developing countries, warning signs for parents of sick children, and the "dos and don'ts" of treatment options.Read the full article.
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Jul 01, 2009
The News, July 2009 The Ministry of Environment in Pakistan, in collaboration with UNICEF and USAID, hosted a workshop entitled "National Behavioural Change Communication Strategy for Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Sector." The workshop
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Jun 01, 2009
UPI, June 2009 Through the company he founded, Ecotact, Kenyan architect David Kuria is addressing the cultural barriers against sanitation. With the creation of “toilet malls,” families have access to shower and toilet facilities, as well as
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May 01, 2009
IPIU, May 2009 Shanely Knox highlights the preventable nature of diarrheal disease and makes a case for simple solutions that deserve more attention, using stories from the field and input from experts.Read the full article.
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May 01, 2009
Medical News Today, May 2009 "The international health agenda is failing to save the lives of millions of children by not responding appropriately to causes of child deaths, according to development organisation WaterAid in a new report released
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May 01, 2009
Center for Global Development, May 2009 Scott Kniaz, program coordinator on the Global Health Team at the Center for Global Development, discusses the comprehensive advocacy approach embodied in the recently launched Call to Action against diarrheal
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May 01, 2009
IRIN, May 2009 International Vaccine Institute director John Clemens argues for a coordinated effort against diarrheal diseases. “It is a false dichotomy to pit sanitation against vaccination,” he asserts. “Progressively, people are thinking about
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May 01, 2009
The Huffington Post, May 2009 Author Richard Chin advocates for action against diarrheal disease--the second leading cause of death in children--and urges readers to join the fight against this "senseless killer."Read the full article.
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Apr 01, 2009
The Washington Post's Post Global, April 2009 Rose George, author of The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters, reminds us of the deadly consequences of lack of sanitation and unsafe water. According to George, "
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Mar 01, 2009
The World Water Forum, the world’s largest water policy event, held its fifth session last March in Istanbul, Turkey. "[There were] 40 journalists who attended the Forum under the auspices of Media21, a Geneva-based non-profit that also organized
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Mar 01, 2009
GOOD, March 2009 This brief video presents statistics on the dangers of contaminated drinking water and outlines affordable sanitation solutions. Read the full article.
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Dec 01, 2008
National Public Radio, December 2008 Zimbabwe faces a crisis as a severe cholera outbreak grips the country, attributed to failures of water and sanitation systems.Read the full article here.
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Oct 01, 2008
UNICEF, October 2008 In more than 70 countries around the world, children, teachers, and parents joined celebrities, officials, civil society, and the private sector to raise awareness about handwashing with soap.Read the full article here.
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Oct 01, 2008
Scientific American, October 2008 An interview with Rose George, author of The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters.Read the full article here.
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While this list is by no means exhaustive, these global health observance days enjoy a guaranteed recurring reservation on our annual DefeatDD work plan as opportunities to generate greater attention to one or more solutions to defeat diarrheal
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