AFRO-NETS> Safe Water System Improves Health of People Living with HIV

[Karrie Carnes <kcarnes@psi.org>]

Safe Water System Improves Health of People Living with HIV
-----------------------------------------------------------
 
 
New research shows that a safe water system improves the health 
of HIV positive people. An abstract presented at the 13th Inter-
national Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections 
in Africa (ICASA) in Nairobi in September 2003 suggested that use 
of the Safe Water System resulted in a 37% reduction of risk of 
diarrhea in people with HIV/AIDS. Diarrheal diseases are largely 
attributed to drinking contaminated water and are the world's 
second leading killer of children under five. Chronic diarrhea 
can also prove life-threatening for those with weakened immune 
systems. 
 
The Safe Water System (SWS) was created by the Center for Disease 
Control and Prevention and is promoted and distributed by Popula-
tion Services International (PSI) in 8 developing countries The 
SWS consists of a bottle of chlorine solution that disinfects wa-
ter at point of use by inactivating microbial pathogens that 
cause diarrhea. A single bottle of SWS can provide clean drinking 
water for a family of six for a mere penny per day. The USAID di-
rector in Zambia has said "safe water systems could prove to be 
one of the most important health interventions of the decade." 
 
To download the ICASA abstract book as Adobe PDF file (306 pp. 
2.5 MB) go to:
http://www.icasanairobi2003.org/ICASA_abstractbook.pdf
 
and go to page 74 of the PDF, look for the abstract entitled 
"Effects of Safe Water and Cotrimoxazole on Diarrhea Among People 
with HIV" on the right side of the page. 
 
For more information on the Safe Water System, visit:
http://www.psi.org/resources/waterlink.html
and click the link. 
 
Karrie Carnes
mailto:kcarnes@psi.org

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