Stopping a Child Killer: Safe Water Saves Lives

	Children receive clean water from a safe source.

According to the World Health Organization, approximately one out of every six people worldwide have no access to safe water. Diarrhea, often caused by unclean water and inadequate hygiene and sanitation, is the world’s second leading killer of children. A few drops of chlorine solution added to water before it is used for drinking and cooking can be the difference between life and death.

Although water can be boiled to purify it, firewood and charcoal are scarce and therefore too expensive for many people to afford. Safe water solution is the low-cost alternative. It is produced locally in each country, thus supporting the local economy and utilizing existing commercial networks. Trained volunteers show people how to use the product and treat the water correctly.

“As shocking and terrifying as the HIV/AIDS pandemic is, the lack of access to clean water and sanitation is equally as shocking and terrifying,” said Dr. E. Anne Peterson, Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Global Health. USAID has financed the initial production and marketing of an affordable water purification product in countries such as Afghanistan and Zambia to provide relief from cholera and other diarrheal diseases.

Diarrhea kills about 85,000 Afghan children a year. With technical assistance from Population Services International (PSI), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and UNICEF, Clorin was produced by local plastic and pharmaceutical manufacturers. One bottle of diluted chlorine solution, marketed as Clorin, costs about 17 afghanis (30 U.S. cents) and will last 45 days for a family of six.

The chlorine solution is one component of the safe water system that was developed by the CDC, the World Health Organization, and the Pan American Health Organization to disinfect water at point of use. When added to untreated water, the chlorine solution kills most of the pathogens that cause diarrhea. Use of the solution reduces the number of diarrhea episodes by 30-50 percent. Other components of the chlorine solution include safe storage and hygiene education.

The solution is currently sold under brand names like Clorin, Safewat, and Sûr’Eau. With USAID support, PSI sells the solution in Afghanistan, India, Madagascar, and Zambia, and with support from other donors in Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, and Tanzania.