Health and environment

Environmental conditions are a major direct and indirect determinant of human health. In developing societies, modern forms of exposure to urban, industrial and agrochemical pollution add to the health burden caused by traditional household and community-based risks. The vicious cycle, intrinsically linking poverty, environmental degradation and ill health needs to be broken.

Worldwide, safe and adequate drinking water is still not accessible to 1.1 thousand million people, and 2.4 million people lack adequate sanitation. The most recent figures for Ethiopia (1999) indicate a water supply coverage of 26% (77% in urban areas and 13% in rural areas), and a sanitation coverage of 15% (58% in urban areas and 6% in rural areas). Unchecked urban growth has its price in terms of environmental heath: disposal of municipal and hazardous waste, particularly health care waste, remains a problem in many regions. Up to 60% of the global burden of Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) is associated with indoor air pollution and other environmental factors. Occupational diseases and injuries, grossly underreported are responsible for more than 1 million deaths annually all over the world; health care workers, miners and manufacturing workers are at highest risk. Working children - an estimated 250 million force mostly in informal employment - is the population group that suffers the most.

Goal

To achieve safe sustainable and health enhancing human environments, protected from biological, chemical and physical hazards and secure from the effects of global and local environmental threats.

Strategy

Contribution to the burden of excess mortality and disability by reducing risk factors to human health that arise from environmental causes, and by promoting environmental considerations within the health sector and interventions for health protection in other socioeconomic sectors.

Major activities supported by the WHO country office include:

• Building the capacity of environmental health workers by providing training.
• Promoting environmental health in towns by constructing public latrines, waste disposal and bathing facilities.
• Promoting environmental health in health facilities by constructing incinerators placental pits and waste disposal facilities.