Brazil Not Addressing WASH Issues that Exacerbated Zika Crisis

Brazil has not addressed the root causes of the Zika outbreak including poor sanitation and a lack of clean water access for slum residents.

This happens despite Brazil declared the public health emergency over in May, human rights campaigners and U.N. officials said.

The mosquito-borne Zika virus was linked to more than 2,500 birth defects and caused an 18-month public health emergency in South America's largest country.

But campaigners on Thursday said a lack of government investment in sanitation services for the poor, insecure water access and other conditions which exacerbated the crisis are still present in Brazil, raising the potential of future outbreaks.

"Other Zika-affected countries should recognize that human rights problems can contribute to the rapid escalation and impact of the Zika epidemic," Amanda Klasing, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, said in a statement on Thursday.

"Countries hoping to avoid the crisis Brazil continues to face should address human rights issues at the outset of their planning and response."

More than one-third of Brazil's 206 million people lack access to a continuous water supply, leaving residents with few options other than filling containers for household use.

Left uncovered, these water containers can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes and the diseases they carry.

In Brazil's poor northeast - where Zika hit hardest - less than 25 percent of the population was connected to waste water systems in 2015, Human Rights Watch said, echoing statements from U.N. officials about who was most impacted by the virus.

oor wastewater management leads to pools of stagnant, dirty water sitting in communities which are ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Across the country, more than 35 million Brazilians lack adequate facilities for the safe disposal of human waste.

Read more: Reuters

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Taxonomy

• Water Access
• Water Supply
• Integrated Urban Water Management
• Urban Water
• Access
• Sanitation & Hygiene
• Water Supply
• Community Supply
• Sanitation & Hygiene
• Urban Water Supply
• Water Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH)