WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health

Safe sanitation is essential for health, from preventing infection to improving and maintaining mental and social well-being.

These guidelines provide comprehensive advice on maximizing the health impact of sanitation interventions. The guidelines summarize the evidence on the links between sanitation and health, provide evidence-informed recommendations, and offer guidance for international, national, and local sanitation policies and program actions. The guidelines also articulate and support the role of health authorities in sanitation policy and programming to help ensure that health risks are identified and managed effectively.

The audience for the guidelines is national and local authorities responsible for the safety of sanitation systems and services, including policymakers, planners, implementers within and outside the health sector and those responsible for the development, implementation, and monitoring of sanitation standards and regulations.