ReviewTropical medicine and health2026
Beyond access: WASH, public health, and sustainable development priorities in Africa-a narrative review.
Review in Tropical medicine and health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWater, sanitation, and hygiene [WASH] are core determinants of public health, health equity, and sustainable development in Africa. Despite progress in service coverage, major gaps persist in safety, reliability, affordability, quality, and sustainability. However, evidence remains fragmented on how these challenges collectively affect public health and sustainable development across African settings.
aimThis narrative review synthesizes current evidence to address fragmented knowledge on how these challenges influence public health and sustainable development across African settings.
methodsA narrative review was conducted using peer-reviewed articles, reviews, global health reports, policy documents, and technical resources identified through PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, WHO, UNICEF, UN-Water, and WaterAid. Evidence was synthesized thematically across five domains: WASH inequalities, public health burden, social and system-level barriers, governance and infrastructure sustainability, and evidence-based priorities.
resultsWASH inequalities extend beyond service coverage to include deficiencies in safety, reliability, affordability, and sustainability. Unsafe water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene remain major contributors to preventable disease and health-system vulnerability. Persistent social, behavioral, and system-level barriers, along with governance, financing, infrastructure maintenance, and climate vulnerability, hinder sustainable improvements in WASH. Strengthening governance, resilient infrastructure, community participation, and multisectoral collaboration emerged as key priorities for improving public health and sustainable development.
conclusionsAfrica's WASH agenda must move beyond access toward safe, reliable, equitable, climate-resilient, and sustainable services. Integrated WASH action can reduce preventable disease, protect vulnerable populations, strengthen health-system resilience, and accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.
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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.