Hygiene in Resource-Limited Settings

Safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are fundamental to human health. However, in many areas of the world, practicing personal hygiene is difficult due to lack of access to necessities such as clean water and soap. Globally, 3.6 billion people lack access to safely managed sanitation facilities. Many people resort to open defecation—a practice that can endanger the safety of water used for drinking and personal use. Many diarrheal diseases spread through unsafe water and inadequate sanitation. Focused efforts are needed to accelerate and sustain progress toward eliminating WASH-related diseases and emerging threats like antibiotic-resistant infections.