Handwashing (Hand Washing)

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene and HIV and AIDS: Opportunities for Integration

  • Source:
  • WaterAid America.

  • Summary:
  • Access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is essential for the 33 million people worldwide living with HIV and AIDS. People living with HIV (PLHIV) have rates of diarrheal diseases up to six times higher than in those who are not infected, have greater need for hygiene that those whose immune systems are not compromised, and require good nutrition for antiretroviral therapy (ART) to work best. Partnerships with WASH programs have the potential to yield a range of benefits for PLHIV, improving health and protecting livelihoods.

  • Keywords:
  • Evidence Base Handwashing (Hand Washing) Household Water Treatment & Storage People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) Sanitation/Feces Disposal
  • Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene (WASH) and HIV: Current Research and Opportunities

    • Source:
    • Brown, J. 2012. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

    • Summary:
    • This is a PowerPoint presentation covering the links between WASH and HIV, as well as summaries of research activities, opportunities, and LSHTM's current work on the topic.

  • Keywords:
  • Diarrheal Diseases Evidence Base Handwashing (Hand Washing) Household Water Treatment & Storage People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) Sanitation/Feces Disposal
  • Improving the Lives of People Living with HIV through WASH

    • Source:
    • AIDSTAR-One. 2012.

    • Summary:
    • AIDSTAR-One has finalized a new training resource that aims to address problems around water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) at health facilities to improve the quality of life of people living with HIV. This comprehensive, three-four day curriculum has two goals: to build the capacity of individual health care providers to adopt WASH approaches; and to provide guidance to program planners, and administrators in developing facility-wide WASH approaches. The curriculum provides detailed activities to improve WASH systems in health facilities by ensuring a safe and sufficient supply of water, sanitation, and basic hygiene practices exist at the facility level. In resource-limited countries, many essential practices are lacking in the majority of health care facilities making adequate patient care more difficult, particularly for people living with HIV (PLWH) and others who are more likely to get an infection.

  • Keywords:
  • Accessing Water Handwashing (Hand Washing) Household Water Treatment & Storage People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) Programming Guidance Sanitation/Feces Disposal Training Resources
  • Postnatal Depression Symptoms Are Associated with Increased Diarrhea Among Infants of HIV-Positive Ghanaian Mothers

    • Source:
    • Okronipa, H et al. 2012. AIDS Behav, 16: 2216-2225.

    • Summary:
    • HIV infection is linked to increased prevalence of depression which may affect maternal caregiving practices and place infants at increased risk of illness. We examined the incidence and days ill with diarrhea among infants of HIV positive (HIV-P), HIV negative (HIV-N), and unknown HIV status (HIV-U) women, and determined if symptoms of maternal postnatal depression (PND) modulated the risk of diarrhea. Pregnant women (n = 492) were recruited from three antenatal clinics; mothers and infants were followed for 12 months postpartum. Diarrheal incidence was 0.6 episodes/100 days at risk. More HIV-P than HIV-N and HIV-U women tended to report PND symptoms (v 2 = 4.76; P = 0.09). Reporting symptoms was associated with an increased risk of infantile diarrhea only among HIV-P and HIV-U but not HIVN women (interaction term, v 2 = 7.84; P = 0.02). Health care providers should be aware of the increased risk of infantile diarrhea when both maternal HIV and PND symptoms are present and take preventive action.

  • Keywords:
  • Breast Feeding/Infant Feeding Diarrheal Diseases Evidence Base Handwashing (Hand Washing) Journal Articles Maternal and Child Health People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV)
  • Health Impact of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Services in Relation to Home-Based Care for People Living with HIV and AIDS in the Limpopo Province

    • Source:
    • Potgieter N, du Preez M. 2012. WRC

    • Summary:
    • A substantial burden of the care of people with HIV and AIDS has been placed on the elderly, school-going children, family members, friends and different care organizations within the community. Among many governments and communities, home-based care is based on volunteers whom are unrecognized, under-valued and frequently unpaid. They are largely women and girls. Home-based care is seen as work that does not require remuneration and therefore it is not currently considered within the scope of policies and legislation. The aim of the Water Research Commission project was to investigate home-based care practices with regards to the experiences of caregivers and to perform a health risk assessment of the water used for domestic purposes in households caring for people living with HIV and AIDS.

  • Keywords:
  • Evidence Base Gender Issues Handwashing (Hand Washing) Home-Based Care Household Water Treatment & Storage People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) Sanitation/Feces Disposal
  • Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Considerations for Accelerated PMTCT Programming

    • Source:
    • USAID & WASHplus. 2012.

    • Summary:
    • Many life-threatening opportunistic infections are caused by exposure to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene. Diarrhea, a very common symptom that can occur in people living with HIV and AIDS (PLHIV), affects 90 percent of PLHIV and results in significant morbidity and mortality, especially in HIV-positive children. Studies have shown that children 7-14 months of age show an increase in diarrhea after being exclusively breastfed and this is linked to the introduction of complementary feeding. While previously it was thought that unsafe water was the primary cause, recent evidence is also pointing to unsafe food.

  • Keywords:
  • Diarrheal Diseases Handwashing (Hand Washing) Household Water Treatment & Storage Nutrition People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) PMTCT (Preventing Mother to Child Trans.) Programming Guidance Sanitation/Feces Disposal
  • Integrating Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene into HIV Programs in Ethiopia – Participant’s Guide

    • Source:
    • USAID, HIP and Government of Ethiopia.

    • Summary:
    • HIV/AIDS organizations working with PLWHA do not routinely integrate WASH into their programs. To address this, HIP engaged interested partners and formed a national community of practice in Addis Ababa to explore feasible, effective actions for improved WASH practices in the home-based care (HBC) context. To support this effort HIP developed this module, which can be integrated into existing training for HBC workers, HIV case managers, and nurses working in counseling and testing, PMTCT and antiretroviral therapy programs.

  • Keywords:
  • Handwashing (Hand Washing) Home-Based Care Household Water Treatment & Storage People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) PMTCT (Preventing Mother to Child Trans.) Sanitation/Feces Disposal Training Resources
  • Trainer’s Guide to Integrating Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene into HIV Programs in Ethiopia

    • Source:
    • USAID, HIP and Government of Ethiopia.

    • Summary:
    • HIV/AIDS organizations working with PLWHA do not routinely integrate WASH into their programs. To address this, HIP engaged interested partners and formed a national community of practice in Addis Ababa to explore feasible, effective actions for improved WASH practices in the home-based care (HBC) context. To support this effort HIP developed this module, which can be integrated into existing training for HBC workers, HIV case managers, and nurses working in counseling and testing, PMTCT and antiretroviral therapy programs.

  • Keywords:
  • Handwashing (Hand Washing) Home-Based Care Household Water Treatment & Storage People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) PMTCT (Preventing Mother to Child Trans.) Sanitation/Feces Disposal Training Resources
  • WASH-HIV Integration Counseling Cards for Community Health Workers – Kenya

    • Source:
    • Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, USAID and C-Change.

    • Summary:
    • Set of WASH-HIV integration counseling cards for community health workers in Kenya.

  • Keywords:
  • Community-Based Care Handwashing (Hand Washing) Household Water Treatment & Storage Job Aids Sanitation/Feces Disposal Training Resources
  • Kenya – WASH & HIV Materials

    • Source:
    • WASHplus.

    • Summary:
    • Links to training materials related to WASH & HIV Integration in Kenya.

  • Keywords:
  • Handwashing (Hand Washing) Household Water Treatment & Storage Job Aids Sanitation/Feces Disposal Training Resources