Akira Igata
"A simple SOLUTION" (Abstract)
There is a lack of basic infrastructures in most of the developing countries around the globe, and the slum of Dhaka, Bangladesh is of no exception. Since people have no access to running water, they must rely on other sources, such as a community water pump for their everyday water needs. Such sources, however, are susceptible to varieties of waterborne diseases, which could lead to a severe case of diarrhea. Contrary to our expectations, this familiar, seemingly innocuous illness is actually fatal for young children. Diarrhea alone in fact kills more children under 5 than many of the notorious diseases combined; malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis. These young children who succumb to diarrhea cannot get proper treatments at all from the local hospitals; in a place where basic infrastructures are insufficient, so are the health facilities. Even without an official proper treatment, diarrhea is a simple, preventable disease nonetheless. All it requires is an inexpensive fluid made up of a mixture of sugar, salt and clean water. Despite this simple solution, many obstacles reside on the path to eradicate death from diarrhea. Access to safe water and safe sanitation no doubt, but most of all, spreading proper knowledge about the disease to both parties aiding and getting aided are crucial in preventing the unnecessary death of these young children.
Perilous Misconception
Only few things can be more perilous than indifference, and one that certainly qualifies is misconception. For the general public of the developed countries, diarrhea is no more than an occasional irritant when traveling abroad. If asked which illness is more harmful, for example HIV/AIDS or diarrhea, the majority would most likely choose the former. This may be so in the developed countries, which leads to the dangerous incognizant misconception that the situation must be analogous in the developing countries as well. In reality, diarrhea kills 1.9 million children under 5 a year in the developing countries, whereas HIV/AIDS kills a little more than 0.3 million children a year (TIME 40).
An even alarming fact is that this notion is not only confined to the layperson. According to a survey, 40% of the 29 child-health specialists at major international development agencies answered that 3 leading causes of death for children under 5 are HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria (ibid. 40-41). The actual 3 leading causes are pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria, followed by measles and then HIV/AIDS (ibid.40). A fundraising campaign for such disreputable diseases can often be seen in developed countries, but one for diarrhea is rarely seen. Even if there were one, when given the chance to donate for the either, people ought to opt for the former, based on this misconception.
Lack of basic infrastructures
Diarrhea itself is not a deadly disease, but when coincided with a lack of basic infrastructures, it becomes so. In terms of these infrastructures, an access to clean water is essential for treating dehydration due to diarrhea. Clean water with sugar and salt dissolved is sufficient for an oral rehydration process, or to regain lost body fluids. Clean water seems ubiquitous within the society of the developed countries, but this is not the case for many of the developing countries. In Ethiopia for example, nearly 60% of the people do not have access to safe water (ibid. 43). Not only do humans need drinking water, but one needs water for agricultural usage as well. 2 liters are the average amount of water a person must consume, but it takes about 1000 liters of water to produce their daily food (Williams 199). Many of the developing countries not only lack clean water, but lack any kinds of water itself, as 90% of fresh water is consumed by the agriculture (ibid. 199). With no running water or worse, water itself, it is inevitable that a seeming harmless diarrhea becomes a deadly illness.
Another necessary infrastructure in dealing with diarrhea is an access to safe sanitation. With no access to latrines or practice of washing hands before eating, many children begets diarrhea through "fecal-oral contamination" (TIME 41). In one primary school in Ethiopia, only 4 toilets were in place for 1266 students (ibid. 44). These lacks of basic infrastructure has certainly accelerated the influence of diarrhea.
What should be done?
The mechanism of why diarrhea is so devastating in developing countries is clear as we have seen; lack of basic infrastructure and insufficient adequate treatment. Creating latrines and water pipes definitely helps, however, requires large amount of time and budget. On the other hand, educating both parties, those agonizing from the disease and those hoping to ameliorate them, is more of a cost-effective solution. There have been many cases where children died despite the fact that their family had access to clean water, since their parents didn't know about the disease or how they should treat them. Would they had the correct knowledge about the simple salt-sugar solution, their children may now be alive. Those who are trying to help on the other hand needs to learn more about the present situation in the developing countries. WHO has spent about 340 million dollars on HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis all together, and merely around 7-10 million dollars on diarrheal diseases (ibid. 44). One doctor even predicts that if they can reach out to all the villages, 2 million deaths a year could be saved (ibid. 45). What makes this problem regrettable is that these children's lives could have been easily saved, but long it had gone unnoticed.
What can I do?
Living in an affluent country with nothing to worry about, what can I personally do to make change in the situation of diarrhea in developing countries? Other than donating for charities or finding/participating in overseas volunteer programs, there unfortunately is nothing I can do directly to help those suffering from diarrhea. But indirectly, there are few things I can do to contribute.
It is being argued that tap water in Japan is no longer safe to drink, as it is highly contaminated and that some may even contain carcinogenic substances (藤田 159). This certainly is a grave problem indeed, as it directly affects my daily life. But considering the circumstances of people struggling with life-and-death situation from diarrhea makes all of these problems in Japan seem so miniscule. Measures must be taken to exclude carcinogenic substances from our tap water. True. But we must first realize how thankful we are that with a simple twist of the faucet, relatively safe water comes splattering down whenever we want. It has been ten years since the UN Sustainable Development committee warned that two-third of the world will fall into a serious water shortage in 2025 (山下 152). Water has never been, is not, and will never be an exhaustless commodity. I will be more conscience about the use of water, as it is a commodity we share and must preserve on to the next generation. The changes I can make amounts equally to those of mere rain drops, literally. Yet it is undeniable that I have saved the amount I did not use. As for now, this is what I can and will do; to save unnecessary water, and to contemplate how I can save more on a more grand scale.
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