Shively, Jerry

Globally, approximately 2.4 billion people do not have access to improved sanitation facilities, while 1.1 billion of those people practice open defecation (WHO 2012a; JMP 2012). Open defecation contributes substantially to the insanitary environment in which too many children grow up. About 2 million people die every year due to diarrheal diseases; most of them are children less than 5 years of age. Indeed, diarrhea is the second leading cause of death globally among children under 5, killing more young children than HIV/AIDS, malaria and measles combined.