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COVID-19 pandemic: Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) as a critical control measure remains a major challenge in low-income countries

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dc.contributor.authorDonde, Oscar Omondi
dc.contributor.authorAtoni, Evans
dc.contributor.authorMuia, Anastasia Wairimu
dc.contributor.authorYillia, Paul T.
dc.date.accessioned2024-03-06T11:51:33Z
dc.date.available2024-03-06T11:51:33Z
dc.date.issued2021-03-01
dc.description.abstractSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the deadly respiratory disease called coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), an ongoing global public health emergency that has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. We review literature on the transmission and control of SARS-CoV-2 and discuss the challenges of focusing on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) as critical control measures in low-income countries. A significantly higher prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 related deaths has been reported for the United States of America and other high-income countries in Europe and Asia, regardless of advanced medical facilities in those countries. In contrast, much lower COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality rates have been documented in many low-income countries, despite having comparatively higher socioeconomic burdens and suboptimal medical facilities. By September 29, 2020 over one million deaths have been reported. On the same day, the cumulative total of COVID-19 related morbidity for Africa was 35,954 with 3.5% of the global COVID-19 related deaths. We present arguments for the relatively low COVID-19 morbidity and mortality rates in many low-income countries and discuss the critical importance of WASH for preventing the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19. We observe that the key recommendations put forward by the World Health Organization to effectively control the pandemic have been difficult to implement in low-income countries. We conclude that the pandemic reinforces previous pronouncements that adequate and effective WASH measures are crucial for public health and recommend closer coordination between public health and WASH sectors.
dc.description.sponsorshipN/A
dc.identifier.citationOscar Omondi Donde, Evans Atoni, Anastasia Wairimu Muia, Paul T. Yillia, COVID-19 pandemic: Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) as a critical control measure remains a major challenge in low-income countries, Water Research, Volume 191, 2021, 116793, ISSN 0043-1354, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2020.116793.
dc.identifier.urihttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135420313269
dc.identifier.urihttps://repository.nrf.go.ke/handle/123456789/696
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectEgerton University
dc.titleCOVID-19 pandemic: Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) as a critical control measure remains a major challenge in low-income countries
dc.typeArticle
dspace.entity.typePublication

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