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QUICK FACTS
Worldwide, 780 million people do not have access to an improved water source.
Unsafe drinking water, inadequate availability of water for hygiene, and lack of access to sanitation together contribute to about 88% of deaths from diarrheal diseases.
Water, sanitation and hygiene has the potential to prevent at least 9.1% of the global disease burden and 6.3% of all deaths
An estimated 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation (more than 35% of the world’s population).
An estimated 801,000 children younger than 5 years of age perish from diarrhea each year, mostly in developing countries.
Water and sanitation interventions are cost effective across all world regions.
Improved water sources reduce diarrhea morbidity by 21%; improved sanitation reduces diarrhea morbidity by 37.5%; and the simple act of washing hands at critical times can reduce the number of diarrhea cases by as much as 35%.
According to the World Health Organization and UNICEF, regions with the lowest coverage of "improved" sanitation in 2006 were sub-Saharan Africa (31%), Southern Asia (33%) and Eastern Asia (65%)
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