The interdependency between WASH and nutrition
Unsafe water, poor sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are directly linked to undernutrition through three key pathways: diarrhoea, intestinal worms and environmental enteric dysfunction. Repeated episodes of diarrhoea contribute to undernutrition by hindering the absorption of nutrients. When WASH conditions are not secured, children who are undernourished are at high risk of suffering more frequent and severe episodes of diarrhea.To break this vicious circle, integrated WASH'Nutrition interventions must facilitate access to safe drinking water, treatment for diarrhea, and solutions to prevent malnutrition, particularly for the most vulnerable populations, notably children and pregnant and lactating women.
Nutriset-Aquatabs® : a partnership to facilitate WASH'Nutrition practices
Because water quality is at the core of a healthy growth and development and a driver of better nutrition, Nutriset and Aquatabs® join their expertises in support of governments, UN agencies, and NGOs willing to implement and scale up WASH’Nutrition interventions.
This partnership, directly responding to Sustainable Development Goals 2, 3 and 6, seeks to facilitate the implementation of co-localized and integrated interventions, in order to achieve greater nutritional impact, reduction of incidence of water-related diseases and gains in program cost-effectiveness.
Kersia’s branded Aquatabs® are the world’s no.1 water purification tablets which kill micro-organisms in water to prevent cholera, typhoid, dysentery and other water borne diseases.
Increasing research interest in WASH'Nutrition
There is a growing base of scientific evidence, with some publications mentioning Aquatabs®, that highlight the potential of WASH interventions to improve nutritional outcomes. Some results can be highlighted:
- Adding Aquatabs (Point of Use water treatment) to the treatment of SAM without complications reduced the cost per child recovered. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6427553/
- Incorporating Aquatabs into outpatient treatment programmes improves recovery rates among children with SAM and decrease the time-to-recovery. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/pointofuse-water-treatment-improves-recovery-rates-among-children-with-severe-acute-malnutrition-in-pakistan-results-from-a-siterandomized-trial/9879552400925AF45C40D319088C0E6F and https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29488461
- WASH interventions can positively impact on stunting incidences rates to a reduction of 15% in global prevalence of stunting (Cochrane, 2013)
- Aquatabs Flo (Point of Collection water treatment) showed a 25% reduction in diarrhoea and 24% reduction on health expenditures. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(19)30315-8/fulltext
