Cost effectiveness of a latrine revision programme in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Bulletin of the World Health Organization, April, 2004 by D.R. Meddings

Introduction

WHO estimates that diarrhoeal diseases are the third leading cause of infectious disease-related mortality, claiming approximately 2.2 million lives annually (1). Children under 5 years account for an estimated 2 million deaths and 1.5 billion bouts of diarrhoea annually (1).

Numerous studies have examined the impact of improvements in water and sanitation facilities on diarrhoeal disease (2-6). Most of them have reported positive effects (4), although many of them have encountered methodological problems (7). A review from more than 28 countries reported a 26% median reduction in morbidity and a 55% reduction in all-cause child mortality rates among the most rigorous studies. A 65% median reduction in diarrhoeal-specific mortality rates was...