How does poor sanitation lead to health problems ?

Illnesses caused by germs and worms in feces are a constant source of discomfort for millions of people. These illnesses can cause many years of sickness and can lead to other health problems such as dehydration, anemia, and malnutrition. Severe sanitation-related illnesses like cholera can spread rapidly, bringing sudden death to many people.

        How germs spread disease

Sometimes it is easier to remember the ways germs travel by showing that they are all words beginning with the letter "F": fingers, flies, fields, foods, and fluids (water).

© The Hesperian Foundation

Many illnesses are spread from person to person by germs. Germs are tiny living things that cause sickness. Sometimes it is easy to know where germs are - in feces, rotting foods, and other dirty places. But sometimes, germs are in places that look and smell clean. Germs can pass directly from person to person through touch, and sometimes through the air with dust or when people cough or sneeze. They can spread through food and drinking water. Or they can be carried by flies and animals. Germs that cause diarrhea travel on these paths: