The World Health Organization on Wednesday reported that more people are living longer or beyond 60 years old.
It noted that, globally, “1.4 billion people will be aged 60 or over by 2030 which is a 40% increase from 2019.”
However, a report shows that not enough is being done to protect the health and well-being of people in their later years.
It notes that “improving access to water, sanitation, and hygiene can save 1.4 million lives.”
According to Dr Maria Neira, Director of, the WHO Department of Environment, Climate Change, and Health in June this year, “With growing WASH-related health risks seen already today through conflicts, the emergence of antimicrobial resistance, the re-emergence of cholera hotspots, and the long-term threats from climate change, the imperative to invest is stronger than ever.”
She added, “We have seen improvements in WASH service levels over the last 10 years, but progress is uneven and insufficient.”
WHO estimates of the burden of disease attributable to unsafe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene for 183 WHO Member States disaggregated by region, age, and sex for the year 2019.
The estimates are based on four health outcomes – diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections, undernutrition, and soil-transmitted helminthiases.
To reduce the WASH-attributable burden of disease, WHO urges governments to take the following actions: adopt national monitoring systems to improve data on population exposure to safely managed services and focus efforts on the poorest and most disadvantaged.
