Water, sanitation and hygiene are critical in the prevention, treatment and care of all neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) scheduled for intensified control, elimination or eradication by 2030. Sanitation play a key role in preventing exposure to diseases such as soil-transmitted helminth infections, schistosomiasis, or trachoma, while safe water and hygienic conditions in health facilities and in homes are essential for the management and care of many NTDs (source: Water Sanitation and Health (who.int))

The water, sanitation and hygiene data presented on the ESPEN NTD Portal are unique in that they do not represent primary data collect and submitted by the national programme. Unlike the NTD treatments, endemicity, and morbidity data, standardized primary data at the implementation unit level are not systematically available to NTD programme managers for key water, sanitation and hygiene indicators. To address this data gap, the water, sanitation and hygiene information presented on the ESPEN NTD Portal is derived from models developed by the Institute for Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). The methods used to produce the water, sanitation and hygiene data can be found in the Lancet article linked below. ESPEN has processed the predicted access to WaSH services to produce aggregated estimates at the implementation unit level.

Mapping geographic inequalities in access to drinking water and sanitation facilities in low- and middle-income countries, 2000–2017 | Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (healthdata.org)