Final answer:
Lack of WASH services, such as clean water and proper sanitation facilities, has a significant impact on disease prevention. Waterborne diseases like typhoid, cholera, and diarrhea can spread easily in areas with poor sanitation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Lack of WASH services (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) has a significant impact on disease prevention. Without access to clean water and proper sanitation facilities, the risk of contracting waterborne diseases increases. For example, in areas where people lack functioning sanitation systems, such as sewage systems, there can be dangerous human waste pollution that affects waterways, landfills, and poor residential areas. This pollution can lead to the spread of diseases like typhoid, cholera, and diarrhea, causing serious illness and death, especially among children and vulnerable populations.
According to UNICEF and the World Health Organization, almost 300,000 children die each year from diarrheal diseases caused by poor sanitation and unsafe drinking water. Additionally, lack of access to safe drinking water and inadequate sanitation contribute to 5.4 billion cases of diarrhea worldwide, resulting in 1.6 million deaths annually, mostly among children under the age of five. Intestinal worms, which thrive in poor sanitary conditions, infect close to 90 percent of children in the developing world, leading to malnutrition, anemia, and stunted growth.
Improving access to safe drinking water, proper sanitation systems, and promoting good hygiene practices like handwashing can greatly reduce the burden of waterborne diseases. Public health education, vaccinations, and regular visits to the doctor also play important roles in disease prevention.