At the March 2009 United Nations meetings coinciding with the World Water Forum, a declaration that would recognize water as a basic human right was defeated. In this month's Editorial, the PLoS Medicine Editors argue that access to clean water should be declared a basic human right for three reasons. First, access to clean water can substantially reduce the global burden of disease caused by water-borne infections. Second, the privatization of water—as witnessed in Bolivia, Ghana, and other countries—has not effectively served the poor, who suffer the most from lack of access to clean water. Third, the prospect of global water scarcity—exacerbated by climate change, industrial pollution, and population growth—means that no country is immune to a water crisis.
Image Credit: Rudhach at flickr.com
Editorial
Clean Water Should Be Recognized as a Human Right
PLOS Medicine: published June 30, 2009 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000102
The PLoS Medicine Debates
What Is the Optimal Therapy for Patients with H5N1 Influenza?
PLOS Medicine: published June 23, 2009 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000091
Essays
Will the Public's Health Fall Victim to the Home Foreclosure Epidemic?
PLOS Medicine: published June 16, 2009 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000087
Seasonal Hunger: A Neglected Problem with Proven Solutions
PLOS Medicine: published June 30, 2009 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000101
Perspectives
Funding for Reproductive Health in Conflict and Post-Conflict Countries: A Familiar Story of Inequity and Insufficient Data
PLOS Medicine: published June 9, 2009 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000093
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PLOS Medicine: published June 9, 2009 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000090
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PLOS Medicine: published June 2, 2009 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000084
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