Reference: 00/DW/01/4 ISBN: 1 84057 202 7 Published Date: 17/04/2002 The costs and benefits of the prevention of water related disease in the WHO pan- European region is examined, focusing on narrowing the gap between the Eastern and Western regions. It is estimated that 30 million water related disease incidents annually could be avoided in the Eastern region. To achieve this, an estimated annual expenditure of 30- 50 Euro per capita would be required, whilst the benefits of disease prevention were estimated at about 30 Euro per capita (or 13 bn Euro, total). However, the limitations of the study are discussed, and it is argued that the net benefits are likely to be substantial. |