Waterborne diseases, basic sanitation, and health: Perspectives for Brazil’s legal Amazon

Abstract

Access to sanitation services is a basic human right, although a large part of the Brazilian population has limited access to such services. This paper investigates the relationship between access to sanitation services and the health conditions of the population in one of Brazil’s regions with the lowest infrastructure levels: the Legal Amazon. Using a dynamic panel model, the study analyzes how access to treated water impacts hospital admissions due to waterborne diseases. The results show that access to treated water reduces such admissions, thereby indicating a need to implement public policies in the fields of both sanitation and health. Our findings suggest that a program should be established to promote basic sanitation for the Legal Amazon with incentives for the private sector to participate, such as subsidies for companies to operate in the region. In addition, a data collection system must be designed to make it feasible to undertake studies aimed at drafting public policies which enable long-term planning.