Water and Sanitation Media Network, Nigeria

• Every year over 2.8 million people die from AIDS.
• Improved nutrition and food security reduces susceptibility to diseases, including HIV/AIDS.
• Improved water supply and sanitation reduces susceptibility to and severity of HIV/AIDS and other major diseases.
• Safe access to drinking water and basic sanitation eases the pressure by other infections on the immune system of HIV/AIDS sufferers and allows for better health.
• Interactions between epidemiological status and human vulnerability to subsequent stresses and shocks are well documented. For example, rural populations affected by HIV/AIDS are less able to cope with the stress of drought. Likewise, individuals living with chronic or terminal diseases are more vulnerable to emergency situations.

Source: 2^nd United Nations World Water Development Report: “Water, a shared responsibility”.