World Bank, December 1980, with John M Kalbermatten, D Duncan Mara and Charles G Gunnerson – A contribution to the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade
“A readily available supply of safe water and the sanitary disposal of human wastes are essential, although not the only, ingredients of a healthy, productive life. Water that is not safe for human consumption can spread disease; water that is not readily accessible takes up the productive time and energy of the water carrier – usually women or children; inadequate facilities for excreta disposal reduce the potential benefits of a safe water supply by transmitting pathogens from infected to healthy persons. Over fifty infections can be transferred from a diseased person to a healthy one by various direct or indirect routes involving excreta.”
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Reproduced with permission of World Bank