ReviewTropical medicine and health2024
Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) practices in Africa: exploring the effects on public health and sustainable development plans.
Review in Tropical medicine and health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 56 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
56 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Prevalence and Historical Trends of Trachoma in Egypt: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.The Yale journal of biology and medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Strengthening Rural Primary Healthcare for Climate Resilience in Zambia: An Equity-Centered Approach.Public health challenges · 2026Review
- Preparation and characterization of algae-based biopolymer nanocomposite hydrogels for the adsorptive-photocatalytic degradation of malachite green dye.RSC advances · 2026Article
- Mapping policy gaps and governance challenges in Kenya's hand hygiene environment: a health policy triangle analysis.Health policy and planning · 2026Article
- Beyond access: WASH, public health, and sustainable development priorities in Africa-a narrative review.Tropical medicine and health · 2026Review
- A Comparative Analysis of National Health Strategies and Policy Documents in Selected Latin American and African Countries.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Review
- The lingering impacts of COVID-19 on older women in Kenya and Uganda: A quantitative analysis of health, wellbeing, and WASH insecurity.Journal of public health research · 2026Article
- A review on prospects, challenges, stakeholders and strategies for the implementation of water, sanitation and hygiene in developing countries towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2026Review
- Satellite-derived longitudinal evidence of flood effects on community water and sanitation resilience in coastal Kenya.BMC global and public health · 2026Article
- Assessment of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) of living surroundings and school environment among adolescent high school students in Northwest Ethiopia: mixed method study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Household-level WASH conditions and waterborne diseases among the Vantangiya Scheduled Tribe in India: A micro-scale spatial analysis.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Mapping spatial hotspots and location specific associated factor of diarrhea-wasting multimorbidity among children aged 6-24 months in East Africa: a geographically weighted regression analysis.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- From Lake Victoria to the Tap: Antibiotic Resistance and Pathogenic Contamination of Kisumu City Water Supply and Wastewater Network.Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH · 2026Article
- Oral Health Trends and Challenges in North and West Africa: A Systematic Review of Cross-Sectional Studies.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Economic Evaluation of Multi-Objective Schistosomiasis Control Through Systemic Causality: Theoretical Advances and Governance Implications.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2026Review
- Hand-washing practices at critical times in relation to childhood illnesses and under-nutrition among caregivers in Rongai sub-county, Kenya.African health sciences · 2026Article
- Categorization of household drinking water and sanitation service levels and associated determinants in Uganda.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Examining awareness, implementation, and challenges of sustainable development goal 6 in rural Osun State, Nigeria.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Geographic and Behavioral Determinants of Typhoid and Antimicrobial Resistance in Children Across Urban, Rural, and Nomadic Populations of Punjab, Pakistan.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- The State of SDG 6 in Nigeria (2016-2024): A Critical Review of Progress and Future Strategies.Environmental health insights · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSuboptimal water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) practices constitute a serious public health risk, affecting one-third of the world's population. Remarkable progress has been made to improve WASH; however, challenges remain, with rapid population growth adding pressure on WASH systems. This study explores the current state of WASH practices and diseases in Africa, identifies challenges, and proposes public health recommendations for sustainable implementation. MAIN BODY: The staggering burden of WASH-related diseases in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in Africa, threatens public health, with millions of deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributed to poor WASH practices annually. Notable challenges plaguing WASH practices in the region include poverty, malnutrition, poor data reporting, illiteracy, climate change, and poor healthcare financing. This results in adverse health consequences, including waterborne infections like cholera, typhoid, dysentery, and diarrheal diseases. Additionally, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) such as intestinal worms, schistosomiasis, trachoma, lost productivity, and environmental pollution from soil and underground water contamination have been implicated. Geographical disparities, cultural norms, and inadequate funding further complicate efforts to improve WASH infrastructure and practices. Globally concerted efforts are required to address these issues and permit WASH practices to protect human health by preventing infectious diseases and contributing to economic growth. Strong financial frameworks, skills training, and tools like WASH Fit are recommended for a stronger WASH approach in Africa.
conclusionThe consequences of poor WASH extend beyond public health, impacting economic growth, gender equality, and environmental sustainability. WaterAid's policy recommendations prioritizing government administration, institutional capacity enhancement, and more financial resources are expedient.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.