Why Celebrate the Toilet?
If you take indoor plumbing for granted, that may sound like a silly question. But toilets save lives.
A toilet that effectively captures human waste in a safe, accessible and dignified setting, combined with the facilities and knowledge to practice good hygiene, are part of a strong defense against COVID-19 and future disease outbreaks.
Most of us cannot imagine life without a toilet. But until the 1800s, disposal of human waste was a daily struggle — and it continues to plague communities today.
Around the world, 4.2 billion people still lack safely managed sanitation.
Many people — especially children — get sick by coming into contact with human waste within their communities due to open defecation, flooded latrines and untreated wastewater.
Infectious diseases are easily transmitted when people have inadequate access to toilets, when feces are insufficiently treated and disposed of and when personal and domestic hygiene is lacking.
Each year, the lack of proper sanitation and hygiene facilities causes millions of preventable deaths.
When people lack a clean, safe toilet, possible outcomes include:
- death from diarrhea and other diseases;
- stunting or malnutrition from intestinal parasites;
- vulnerable situations for women and girls;
- pollution of water and food sources; and
- not being healthy enough to make a living.
Poor sanitation kills half a million children under the age of five every year, and costs $200 billion per year worldwide in healthcare costs and lost income.
Access to proper toilets, waste management systems and handwashing facilities help prevent transmission and spread of disease.
Everyone, no matter where they live, must have sustainable sanitation, alongside clean water and handwashing facilities, to help protect and maintain our global health security and prevent the spread of deadly infectious diseases such as COVID-19, cholera and typhoid.
Tackling the global sanitation crisis will save lives worldwide. That’s why our teams work tirelessly, no matter where they are, to promote clean water, sanitation and hygiene practices.
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