‘Safe Water for Health Now’ Conference Turns Spotlight on Deadly Water-Borne Diseases.

Leading experts in household water treatment and sanitation met at BU to explore ways of providing safe water many of the world’s poorest people, millions of whom will die from water-borne diseases. 

BOSTON, Jan 27 2012 — Nearly 1 billion people are without access to sources of clean water and regularly drink, cook and wash with water collected from untreated rivers or contaminated wells. Waterborne microbes can trigger a cycle of diarrhea and malnutrition that combine to form an unrivaled killer of children. Of the 2 million annual deaths caused by diarrhea, most are children under 5 — more than are killed by AIDS, malaria and measles combined.

The conference, moderated by David J. Olsen, began with remarks by Dean Robert Meenan of the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) that underscored the unifying nature of water, both as a vital resource and a critical area of study.

Read the full recap of the live Twitter stream at Storify: 

http://storify.com/BUSPH/safe-water-for-health-now-conference