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.

The section “Did You Know…?” is taken from the 2^nd United Nations World Water Development Report: “Water, a shared responsibility”.