Australian Development Gateway

The Australian Development Gateway (ADG) strives to support members of the development community in their efforts to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development in the Asia Pacific region. The site has been created with participation from members of government, private, academia and non-government organisations. User feedback mechanisms have been incorporated to guide future directions of the site. The site is optimised for low bandwidth access to enable the widest participation throughout the Asia Pacific region.

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Water & health

The effectiveness of water quality interventions in preventing diarrhoea

This fact sheet summarises the findings of a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of water quality interventions to prevent endemic diarrhoea.

The findings are based of a systematic review of 41 controlled trials among some 56,000 participants.  Some of the key findings include:

- Household-based interventions were generally more effective at preventing diarrhoea than those at water source
- Effectiveness was positively associated with compliance
- Effectiveness did not depend on the presence of improved water supplies or sanitation in the study setting
- Effectiveness was not enhanced by combining the intervention to improve water quality with other common environmental interventions intended to prevent diarrhea

 

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