To address concerns about waterborne diseases, leading voices representing public health, the scientific community, water treatment experts, impacted populations, and the federal government joined together on May 23, 2019 at the National Summit on Waterborne Disease: Source-to-Tap Solutions for Infrastructure Policy in Washington, DC at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.
Leaders across these key sectors addressed questions of how to better mitigate the spread of waterborne pathogens while grappling with water infrastructure updates. Several key themes emerged from the discussion, including:
- Both public officials and the public in general are substantially under-informed about the realities of their water quality, how it can impact their health, and actions they can take to protect themselves;
- Improved proactive communication and information-sharing between stakeholders could lead to fewer cases of waterborne diseases;
- Understanding the correlation between water sources and the spread of waterborne pathogens is critical; and
- A source-to-tap approach for waterborne disease management would provide a more comprehensive approach to dealing with waterborne disease.
