African leaders in danger of ignoring biggest killer of children

Children jump over a dirty stream of water flowing from a wash house, Mwenyekondo, Lilongwe, Malawi.

Credit: WaterAid/Layton Thompson

20 July 2010

New figures show diarrhoea causes largest number under-five deaths in Africa.

The biggest killer of children under five in Africa is in danger of being entirely overlooked at this week's African Union summit in Uganda according to WaterAid.

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New figures published in the Lancet medical journal last month revealed that diarrhoea is now the biggest killer of under-fives in Africa. Previous figures had pneumonia as causing the largest number of deaths.

Every day on the continent 2,000 children die from diarrhoea – deaths that are preventable through access to sanitation, hygiene education and clean water.  Simply using a safe toilet can reduce the incidence of diarrhoea by 40%, while a toilet together with safe water and hygiene can reduce the disease by 90%.

This week's African Union summit in Kampala is set to address the maternal, newborn and child health crisis but, according to WaterAid, African leaders could undermine efforts to tackle this deadly crisis if they fail to address access to sanitation.

On the eve of the summit, Yunia Musaazi, WaterAid's policy advisor in East Africa said: "If African leaders are serious about tackling child deaths across our continent, they must tackle diarrhoea, the biggest killer of our children."

She continued: "A staggering 80% of African countries are currently off-track for meeting the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) sanitation target yet simple and cost-effective programmes that deliver sanitation and hygiene not only cut diarrhoeal rates but also significantly reduces other leading causes of child deaths such as under-nutrition and pneumonia.

"Only if improved access to sanitation is addressed will we see any kind of progress on the fourth MDG to reduce child mortality by two-thirds. We are calling on the heads of state meeting in Kampala this week to ensure that sanitation, safe water and hygiene are integrated within their child and maternal health strategies and that these are financed accordingly."

Some of Africa's most popular musicians have thrown their weight behind WaterAid's message to summit leaders not to let drop the promises they made on sanitation and water in the eThekwini and Sharm el Sheikh declarations in 2008.

In a short campaign film made to show at the summit, the much-loved Nigerian singer Femi Kuti says: "If I had to give a message to African leaders, I would say, don't they love their people?  And if they did care and truly loved their people, then it is their ultimate duty to provide clean water for the people of Africa." 

Mali's golden voice Salif Keita declared his support by saying: "Water is life and sanitation is life as well."

Other musicians calling on leaders to tackle the crisis include: Amadou and Mariam, Bassekou Kouyate and Emmanuel Jal.

WaterAid's recommendations for the 2010 African Union summit are as follows:

• African Heads of State should ensure that sanitation and water are an integral part of national health strategies and are adequately resourced.
• African Heads of State should ensure that at least 0.5% of their respective GDPs are allocated to sanitation, as committed to in the eThekwini Declaration on Sanitation (2008) ( PDF File 1.02 MB). 
• African Ministers should ensure that monitoring of progress on maternal, newborn and child health includes the MDG 7 targets on sanitation and water, alongside MDGs 4 and 5 on child and maternal mortality.
• The AU summit declaration should appoint a Special Rapporteur on sanitation and water to report to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR), building on the work of the UN Independent Expert on human rights' obligations related to access to sanitation and water.

Ends

Chloe Irvine, WaterAid's policy media officer, is in Kampala during the AU summit and can provide access to spokespeople, as well as high res images and footage including photos of the musicians who appear in the Don't Let It Drop film. 

Contact Chloe Irvine on +44 (0) 7785725387 chloeirvine@wateraid.org or James Kiyimba from WaterAid Uganda on (+256) 0712 874677 or, in the UK, Ann Noon on 0044 207 793 4790, annnoon@wateraid.org.
 
Notes to Editors:

WaterAid's vision is of a world where everyone has access to safe water and sanitation. Our mission is to transform lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the world’s poorest communities. We work with partners and influence decision-makers to maximise our impact.

• At least 2,000 children die every day in Africa as a result of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation.
• Only four in ten Africans have access to a basic toilet.  570 million people in sub-Saharan African do not have access to adequate sanitation.  At current rates, the Millennium Development Goal target on sanitation will not be met in the region until the 23rd century. 
• Half of African countries are also off-track for the Millennium Development Goal target on safe water.