Ebola Epidemic Illustrates Why Water, Sanitation Key To Global Health, Development

The Hill: Ebola’s missing solution
James Kowalski, dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City

“…Without the resources to maintain basic personal hygiene, the foundational building block to health security is missing. The global water and sanitation crisis, ever-present in tens of thousands of villages and cities around the world, is another kind of epidemic that kills thousands of children every day, stunts the growth of others, and causes lifelong chronic illness — animating more poverty. That same water and sanitation crisis in West Africa also makes the response to Ebola slower and riskier for everyone — from family members caring for the sick and burying their dead, to the medical workers trying to heal them. … The Ebola outbreak is a tragic illustration and another reason why water and sanitation is the keystone cure to global health and development…” (12/4).

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