Keys findings

- Water filtration at home probably reduces diarrhoea by around a half, and effects were consistently seen with ceramic filters reduces diarrhoea by around a half, and effects were consistently seen with ceramic filters.

- In low-income settings, distributing plastic bottles with instructions to leave filled bottles in direct sunlight for at least six hours before drinking probably reduces diarrhoea by around a third. instructions to leave filled bottles in direct sunlight for at least six hours before drinking probably reduces diarrhoea by around a third.

Background  

Diarrhoea is a major cause of death and disease, especially among young children in low-income countries where the most common causes are faecally contaminated water and food, or poor hygiene practices. In remote and low-income settings, source-based water quality improvement may include providing protected groundwater or harvested rainwater as an alternative to surface sources. Alternatively, water may be treated at the point-of-use in people’s homes by boiling, chlorination, flocculation, filtration, or solar disinfection. These point-of-use interventions have the potential to overcome both contaminated sources and recontamination of safe water in the home.