The majority of the more than 1.5 million people who pass away from diarrhea each year are newborns and small children who drank contaminated water. Water-borne illnesses can spread and cause serious sickness without access to clean water sources, endangering lives and impeding children's ability to attend school.
The world has set an ambitious goal in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: providing access to clean water and sanitation for all by 2030. The ongoing worldwide water crisis, which has already seen 2 billion people go without access to clean water, is a significant barrier to achieving goal.
Engaging communities
UNICEF assists governments in their efforts to increase community access to clean water by testing household and public water sources for faecal contamination. Governments are working to do this through enhancing vital water infrastructure and services.
According to Esther Shaylor, an innovation specialist with the UNICEF Supply Division, "UNICEF provides test kits that look at several features of water that make it safe, including checking for bacteria like E. coli." "E. coli is utilized as a cholera, typhoid, and diarrhea indicator. Faecal contamination in drinking water is straightforward to detect in outdoor settings with inexpensive equipment. We may collaborate with communities to remediate the water when it is there since we are aware that there is an issue.
Equipment is provided by UNICEF to examine various water safety issues. Presently, countries are given five different types of water test kits for detecting E. coli. Currently, the kits, which are made especially for usage in areas without laboratories, give results in 18 to 24 hours and function by checking directly for the presence of E. coli or other indicators of infection. Although the kits are life-saving tools, getting them to remote locations, where testing requirements are frequently greatest, can be challenging due to their size and weight. Shaylor expects that in the future, the communities will be replaced by trained individuals to conduct the examinations.
Communities should ideally do water testing so they can keep an eye on their water sources, according to Shaylor. "UNICEF is collaborating with business on innovation projects to shorten the turnaround time for biological water test findings. We can treat water more quickly if we have less time to do so. In particular, it will help save the lives of small children, who are the most vulnerable, and avoid major disease.
experimenting with the newest test kit
A novel test that yields results in 8–10 hours is now being prepared for pilot testing by UNICEF. The time needed to obtain results of bacteria in water in remote regions is reduced in half by this invention, which was driven by UNICEF Supply Division and water test manufacturers. The development of quick water tests may benefit greatly from this initiative.
In areas of the world where the source of drinking water has been impacted, UNICEF is contemplating deploying these new tests as part of emergency response activities. This includes the cleanup following cyclones in Vanuatu and Malawi, as well as their application in 30 nations combating cholera outbreaks. These developments will provide nations fighting potentially fatal water-borne infections a big boost.
What Shaylor is actually striving for are exams that can be carried out by communities. If testing can yield results the same day, UNICEF and partners can collaborate with local governments to address contamination issues and create educational programs for households on how to maintain clean water supplies.
It is envisaged that the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on diagnostic testing may aid in the creation of quick water test kits that will offer results in two hours or less. It is very early, and efforts are still being made to find ways to test in remote areas while making it simple for local groups to use and understand the results. Moreover, test kits must be sturdy to withstand transportation by boat or on difficult roads to UNICEF's operating areas.
Every day, Shaylor adds, "I'm reminded of how fortunate I am to be able to open a faucet and obtain clean water." "But that's not the situation for 25% of the world's population. In addition to other water, sanitation, and hygiene programs with governments, UNICEF is making significant progress in water testing to help bridge that gap. I'm hoping that quick biological tests will be accessible soon so that communities may control how their water is monitored and managed. It is what we must pursue.
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