Gates grant funds study of health risks from poor sanitation
|
A new study led by the Center for Global Safe Water will assess the health risks associated with poor sanitation in cities in developing nations. Funded by a $2.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the center will study exposure to human waste, beginning in Accra, Ghana.
Researchers will observe behaviors related to exposure and collect samples to test for contamination in fresh produce, hands, soil, drinking water, recreational water, and drainage ditches. They will use the data to develop tools to characterize exposure and risk and design interventions to prevent enteric disease transmission, especially among children.
“We hope that the application of the tools we develop will inform sanitation investment priorities in cities and contribute to WHO-recommended approaches for assessing health risks from fecal exposures,” says Christine Moe, director of the Center for Global Safe Water.
