Abastecimiento de agua y servicios de saneamiento : Su funcion en la revolucion de la supervivencia infantil / A role for water supply and sanitation in the child survival revolution

ABSTRACT

It has been argued that investments in water supply and sanitation should not be a major element of primary health care because these are not cost-effective health investments. This article demonstrates that the methodology used to arrive at this conclusion is systematically biased against water supply and sanitation; that such investments may be important for health even if the direct effects are modest; that the long-run effects; and that, these factors not withstanding, the short-run impacts of water supply and sanitation improvements on health are usually substantial