Background on Improved Sanitation for Hygiene Promotion

The health benefits of sanitation have been widely documented. The hygienic disposal of feces can reduce the incidence of diarrhea by 30-40%, yet globally some 2.6 billion people still do not have access to improved sanitation. Improved hygiene and sanitation provide health benefits for both the family that installs a latrine or other sanitation facility as well as their community buy reducing the amount of fecal contamination in their environment. Children's health is improved through fewer incidents of diarrhea, reduced exposure to worms and other parasites, and better quality of water supply. In addition, the lack of adequate sanitation facilities at schools prevents many girls from attending school. A wide range of solutions are available for both rural and urban settings and given the joint public-private benefits of improved sanitation, debate exists as to whether individuals alone should pay to build sanitation facilities or if public measures (subsidies) should be used for their promotion as well.