Thread by @WHO

"These discussions between health, water and finance ministers are among the most important meetings of the year. Investing in water, sanitation and hygiene is critical to preventing both pandemics and local outbreaks. Its absence leaves us exposed"-@DrTedros at #2020FMM

https://twitter.com/sanwatforall/status/1323957870300454913

"In fact, one of our most fundamental public health measures fails in much of Africa and around the world because hundreds of millions of people cannot wash their hands. That includes #healthworkers in one out of three health care facilities globally"-@DrTedros #2020FMM

"You already know the basics: WASH is a first line of defence against #COVID19 and so many other diseases, ​such as diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid, malnutrition, influenza and pneumonia"-@DrTedros #2020FMM

"It is also critical to preventing the spread of #AntimicrobialResistance, which is one of our biggest global threats"-@DrTedros #2020FMM

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1323965923615739904?s=20

"Without WASH, we are vulnerable. This fundamental science has been known for decades. Nonetheless, inequalities in coverage of water, sanitation and hygiene have persisted"-@DrTedros #2020FMM

"The #COVID19 pandemic reminds the world of a fundamental tenet of public health: when some populations are unprotected, it leaves us all at risk"-@DrTedros #2020FMM

"Underinvestment in WASH has left 800M Africans without safe drinking-water, & more than 700M without basic sanitation or the means to wash their hands. Thankfully, so far African countries have been less affected by the #COVID19 pandemic than most other regions"-@DrTedros

"But the lack of adequate water, sanitation and hygiene leaves many communities vulnerable to this and other pathogens"-@DrTedros #2020FMM

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1323966820135686144?s=20

"Investments in WASH are what we call a “no-regrets” investment, which support human rights & save lives. The economic benefits of sanitation are about 5 times the cost. And improving #handhygiene can generate savings in health expenditure up to 15 times the cost"-@DrTedros

"With sustainable public investment, transparency, and accountability, we can make safe water, sanitation and hygiene a reality for everybody, in Africa and around the world"-@DrTedros #2020FMM