In a poor health environment, the risk of infectious, parasitic and water-borne diseases, as well as diarrhoea, is often high because of the use of unpotable water and very low standards of hygiene and awareness. In South Asia, an estimated 280 million people lack access to safe water, while more than 800 million people have no access to basic sanitation. Even more important than the overall status of adequate provision of safe water and a sanitary environment, is the acuteness of the rural-urban gap in that regard. While 84 per cent of the people in urban areas of Papua New Guinea and China have access to safe water, only 17 per cent and 56 per cent respectively of their rural counterparts have access to similar services. The gender implication of a healthy environment is also important.
Malnourishment is still an issue in some countries of the region.
In South Asia, some 300 million people do not have enough to eat. In South-East Asia and the Pacific, more than a third of the children under five are malnourished, creating a situation which has a serious impact on the health status of youth. Girl children tend to be underfed more than boys in some countries, which leads to severe effects on the health of young women in their reproductive period. Poor maternal health and inappropriate birth-spacing have implications, both for mothers and children. In South Asia, about 80 per cent of pregnant women suffer from anaemia, the highest rate in the world.