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Water, sanitation and hygiene vital in fight against AIDS

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:48 GMT

Source: member // WaterAid - UK

Regis helps her grandchildren wash their hands. She says knowing the importance of clean water, hygiene and safe toilets will make her live longer. Credit: WaterAid/Anna Kari

As people across the globe unite to mark World AIDS Day on 1 December, WaterAid is calling for more unity between HIV/AIDS programmes and efforts to improve access to water and sanitation.

A UNAIDS report launched ahead of this day shows that the number of deaths from HIV and AIDS has dropped from 2.2 million a year in the mid-2000s to 1.8 million. To continue the downward trend of HIV/AIDS-related deaths, it is vital that water, sanitation and hygiene be prioritised.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a minimum of 20 litres of water per person per day. A person with HIV can need over 100 litres per day.

Antiretroviral drugs are less effective without adequate food and safe clean water. People who live with HIV are six times more likely to suffer from diarrhoea (Lule, 2005), in part as a result of contaminated water. This reduces their ability to absorb medicines and essential nutrients.

Hand washing, decent toilets and clean water all reduce the likelihood of contracting diarrhoeal diseases, thereby protecting caregivers and providing a strong household that is more economically productive and resilient to the challenges of HIV.

Barbara Frost, Chief Executive for WaterAid, said: “Despite the benefits of safe water and improved hygiene and, sanitation, ensuring sufficient access to these services for people living with HIV/AIDS remains a challenge. Efforts to combat HIV/AIDS would benefit from a strong focus on water and sanitation to significantly build on the gains achieved so far in improving global health.”

The people with the greatest needs are often the most marginalised, and because of the stigma surrounding the illness, may be denied access to the water point or the communal toilet.

After disclosing his HIV status, “Mr A”, from Sunsari, Nepal, experienced extreme discrimination, both from his family and from the wider community. He was forbidden to enter the kitchen, use the family toilet, or even use the tap in the house.

He was therefore forced to go to the public water point and was made to wait until everyone else had finished their turn for fear of passing on the infection. He brushed his teeth in the office and went outside at night to find somewhere to go to the toilet.

Water and sanitation stakeholders need to mainstream HIV/AIDS into their policies and programmes while efforts to combat HIV/AIDS must focus on water and sanitation, right through from the planning to the monitoring and evaluation stages.

Training, advocacy and awareness-raising should also be aligned to share messages on both on water, sanitation and hygiene as well as caring for people with chronic illnesses and sensitising communities on sharing facilities with people with HIV/AIDS.

Regis Sicheuunga, 48, a widow, mother of seven, and caregiver to two grandchildren from Hambale, Zambia, was diagnosed with HIV after the birth of her youngest child.

“Before we had the hand pump, I’d get up at 3am to get to the well, because if you were late, the water would be gone,” she said. “Now I have clean water close to my home, I don’t have diarrhoea anymore and I can keep a garden to grow vegetables and groundnuts to help protect my body.

“When I speak to others I tell them to use clean water so that the diseases that arise from dirty water can be kept at bay. The knowledge I have been given on the importance of clean water, hand washing and toilets will help me live longer.”