The recent pledge of $922 million by the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation for global nutrition has boosted an area desperately in need of funding. This is the biggest ever donation from the foundation which is the first step on the road to give vulnerable women and children a healthy and dignified life. Find the commitment details here: www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/media-center/press-releases/2021/09/922m-commitment-to-global-nutrition-and-food-systems

World hunger is rising rapidly. The WFP (World Food Programme) recently advised that 957 million people in 93 countries do not have enough to eat. 239 million of those will require direct humanitarian intervention this year. The stark reality of what is happening can be found here: hungermap.wfp.org

We know the key drivers. Climate change is now classed as a humanitarian issue. Although phases of warming and cooling are part of the earth’s’ cycle, the rapid warming that has occurred in recent decades have been caused by man-made greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The earth's natural cleansers, the oceans and forests are losing the battle to remove gases such as carbon dioxide. Rivers and oceans are polluted, and deforestation causes even more carbon dioxide to be released into the atmosphere.

Secondary impacts of Covid-19 continue to devastate in low- and middle-income countries, where conflict, rising unemployment, increasing food costs and little or no healthcare are crippling any chances to recover.

World leaders are beginning to work with scientists and organisations to find solutions. This is good news, but with severely impacted economies and healthcare facilities in least developed countries (LDC) at breaking point; millions of women, children and adolescents are suffering daily. Famine is iminent in north-eastern Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen. These are just four of the many countries facing severe malnutrition through erratic rainfall, failed harvests, conflict and currency depreciation.

Until solutions can be found, nutritional interventions must now take priority

Life saving RUTF (ready to use therapeutic food) combined with access to safe drinking water are essential for the survival of babies and young children susceptible to debilitating water borne disease such as cholera and giardia. In the following link you will find a publication that demonstrates the impact of WASH intervention in the management of severe acute malnutrition.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29488461/

“You can’t achieve the maternal health goals of the SDGs, or the child health goals or any of those health goals without strong nutrition, nutrition is often the underlying cause of morbidity and mortality.”- Dr. Christopher Elias, president of the global development program, Bill & Melinda Gates

Foundation.

At Aquatabs, we continue to focus on playing our part, whether it be delivering

- SUSTAINABLE WASH - water purification systems for schools and rural communities.

- Providing high quality affordable WASH’NUTRITION essential water and nutritional products.

- WASH in HEALTHCARE - effective infection prevention solutions for hospitals and small communities while supporting social enterprises engaged in improving access to WASH services in developing economies.

Bet you never thought while sitting in the dentist chair, that the water swilling around your mouth could be contaminated. Your thoughts at the time are totally focused on hoping the dentist doesn’t ask when was the last time you flossed, right? The surgery is spotless and contaminated dental water lines never cross your mind. Rightly so, it shouldn’t, because routine care of dental water lines are part and parcel of the infection prevention protocol of your local surgery.

However, bacterial growth and biofilm build up are relentless and once in place, are very difficult to remove. Regular disinfection of dental unit water lines (DUWLs) help to ensure that water output is of good quality.

Dental unit water lines (DUWLs) can present an infection risk for dental patients. If not appropriately taken care of, DUWLs can become contaminated with biofilm which can harbor pathogenic microorganisms that could pass to the patient. Recently a long-term study (2007-2016) was reported by the Dental School, Umeå, Sweden. The purpose of the study was to monitor the heterotrophic micro-organisms in the DUWLs after treatment with Aquatabs®.

Standard DUWLs were treated with 2.4 ppm chlorine generated from Aquatabs®, while heavily contaminated units were treated with 12 ppm chlorine.

The chlorine containing water was then continuously delivered by compressed air. Over the 10-year period, 3358 samples were analyzed. High quality water was found in the majority of samples after treatment, >70% in year 1 and >90% being compliant in the final year. No corrosion of the metal instruments or the pipes of the dental units were observed. Similarly, when treated with Aquatabs®, no accumulation of biological material was observed.

During the 10-year period, it was also noted that no infections related to DUWLs were reported by staff or patients. This exciting study demonstrates the benefit of using Aquatabs for the continuous disinfection of DUWLs.

Find the full study: doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2021.04.013

According to the HSE, the main water risks in a dental surgery for pathogenic microbes are:

• Aerosolised water from DUWLs which can be swallowed, inhaled or introduced into open wounds.

• Water temperature between 20-50°C.

• Stagnant water, infrequently used water lines and slow handpiece water lines where water is not

routinely used.

• Build-up of deposits in water (hard water minerals).

• Wash hand basins and taps.

If you are interested in the HSE guidelines for care of dental water lines - you can find more information here: www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/healthwellbeing/our-priority-programmes/hcai/resources/dental/sop-13-care-of-dental-unit-waterlines-duwl-and-water-quality.pdf

Marburg virus disease (MVD) is a severe, often fatal illness in humans, causing severe haemorrhagic fever. MVD is caused by the Marburg virus, an RNA virus of the filovirus family (other members include the six Ebola virus species). The virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through human-to-human transmission.

The transmission can be via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions or other bodily fluids of infected people, and also with surfaces and materials (e.g. bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids.

An outbreak of Marburg virus has been reported recently in Guinea.

Infection prevention measures will be key in the prevention of the spread of this virus. EN14476:2013+A1:2015 is a European test standard that evaluates the virucidal efficacy of disinfectants via testing of Poliovirus Type 1, Adenovirus Type 5 and Murine Norovirus.

In accordance with EN14476:2013+A1:2015, Annex A, Medentechs products Klorsept, Aquatabs and Klorkleen have full virucidal activity when used as surface disinfectants. Meaning they are effective against the Marburg virus.

These products are effective when used at 500 ppm when surfaces have been pre-cleaned and at 1000 ppm when used under dirty conditions. A 5 minute contact time is required.

In 2001, Aquatabs visited Ethiopia to review how our effervescent tablets were helping communities to disinfect water supplies and reduce water borne disease. While there, our team were introduced to a family whose lives revolved around water. Everyday they would fish and bring the catch back to the local community. Our team were fortunate to experience the amazing community spirit, and see first hand how Ethiopian communities worked together.

Today, conflict in Tigray and surrounding areas, has caused 2 million people to become displaced and left 5.2 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. That's approximately 90% of the Tigrayan population, whose food and supplies are diminishing because of the difficulties experienced by NGOs to reach communities and camps with supply trucks.

The threat of famine in Tigray is real.

It is estimated that up to 401,000 people will be in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe) by September 2021. The IPC Acute Malnutrition Reference Table is used to identify phases of acute malnutrition at population level and is a guide that highlights priority areas where intervention is required. Phase 5 is the highest level on the acute malnutrition scale and classed as extremely critical.

The Tigray crisis has been advised as the worst since the Somali famine in 2011. Full explanation of the IPC malnutrition scale can be found here:

www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Communicating_the_Acute_Malnutrition_Scale.pdf

Clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services play a critical role in infection prevention. Safely managed services that are affordable and available to all are a human right and included in Sustainable Goal 6, “to ensue the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”

WASH is fundamental for good health and wellbeing and key to achieving SDG 3 health related goals:

• Reducing deaths and illness from water contamination

• Ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age

• Achieving universal health coverage

• Ending NTDs and combating waterborne disease

@Aquatabs we continue to deliver sustainable infection prevention solutions globally.

We understand that making WASH solutions available to all, can effectively prevent the transmission of disease.

In 2019, resolution WHA72.7 on WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) in healthcare facilities was adopted by the World Health Assembly. The aim:- by 2025, increase the number of healthcare facilities with basic WASH facilities by 80% moving to 100% by 2030 apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA72/A72_R7-en.pdf

The reality is that one in ten healthcare facilities globally do not have sanitation services and one in four, no basic water supply. In LDCs (least developed countries ) the problem is worse, half of the facilities lack basic water with up to 60% lacking sanitation services. COVID-19 has decimated the well meaning plans by many countries to maintain their commitment to sustainable development goal 3: (Ensure healthy lives and promote health and well-being for all at all ages) and Goal 6 (Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all)

WASH is a “best buy” according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Promoting hand hygiene and investing in better hospital hygiene have the potential to pay for themselves within a year It’s time to invest in solutions that are accessible, cost effective and sustainable. WASH must be at the highest level of global budgetary requirements and remain there for universal health to prosper.

National governments, organisations, communities and the commercial sector can move affordable

WASH in healthcare forward together by supporting lasting infrastructure. Blended finance is one way to take the risk out of funding healthcare and scale up investment in LDCs. Combining innovative, sustainable models that can be adjusted to local requirements open opportunities and supports sustainable development. www.oecd.org/dac/financing-sustainable-development/blended-finance-principles/

Aquatabs continue to deliver sustainable water purification systems for schools and communities, 40 million children access safe drinking water everyday in Kenya and Nigeria.

Aquatabs Year In A Box has been designed to bring low cost infection prevention to small communities and healthcare facilities while supporting social enterprises engaged in improving access to WASH services in developing economies.

With the Aquatabs Year In A Box (YIAB) mix and match system, you receive your exact requirement for the year:

- All water requirements

- All surface disinfection needs

- All instrument disinfection needs

- All handwashing requirements

Contact us today to find out how our experts can help you with personalised infection prevention training and facility needs.

This year’s World Water Day 2021 captured commitments and thoughts associated with the Value of Water. Following a year in which the pandemic has exacerbated the inequalities already present in society, the economic case for investment in water is even sharper. Sustainable investment and a focus on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is growing rapidly to seize the opportunity offered by the value of water.

The conversation around the value of water is often dominated by the human costs associated with the gap between those who have a plentiful supply of clean, safe water and those who do not. Statistics detailing those who do not even have access to basic water and sanitation are well understood and often quoted by the WASH community.

The World Water Day 2021 featured many of these statistics regarding the increasing scarcity of fresh water, the number of people forced to drink contaminated water and the impact of climate change on water resources.Lying beneath these important and essential human stories, there is a second layer of information that may actually help to drive investment from a purely financial perspective, whether that be via funding or finance.

According to water.org, the financial gap required to achieve SDG 6 is $114bn per year, every year until 2030. At present 80% of countries report insufficient financing to meet current national WASH targets, often lower than the SDG 6 objectives.

This seems like an insurmountable gap until two more factors are considered:

1. Failure to invest in the water sector will reduce global growth by up to 6% by 2050

2. For every $1 invested in water and sanitation, $4.30 is delivered in economic benefit to

individuals and society.

3. Families at the bottom of the economic pyramid have a $12bn demand for finance to meet their

water and sanitation needs.

Investment in water to avoid global growth contraction whilst boosting spending power of individuals and society seems like a solid economic win/win.

The pandemic has shone a harsh light on the inequalities of access to safe water and sanitation over the last year. Compared to the coming impacts of climate change, we may look back at COVID-19 as a minor difficulty.

Up to 700 million people will be displaced by water scarcity by 2030, and 450 million children are currently living in areas of very high or high water vulnerability.

Yet source water protection can cost as little as $2 per person per year.

For such a low investment, preventing large scale migration which is often to adjacent regions where water scarcity already exists, seems a great human return. But there is an associated financial payback.

Investment in water infrastructure of $1 per square metre for informal settlements increases land value by $3 – 11 per square metre. For a relatively small cost, communities likely to be displaced by climate change can be better protected with solid economic results.

The good news is that the financial sector is beginning to turn towards the opportunities offered by sustainable investment and impact investment.

$30tn worth of assets were controlled by sustainable investment funds at the start of 2018, a 34% increase over two years. The pre-pandemic forecast was to reach $50tn by 2028. There is a significant shift towards CSR-focused investment by institutional, corporate and private investors.

We at Aquatabs are intensely focused on playing our part, whether it be delivering sustainable water purification systems for schools, hospitals and small communities or supporting social enterprises engaged in improving access to WASH services in developing economies.

Contact us to find out more about our activities in creating social enterprises, making safe water accessible in the most challenging circumstances and how we ensure the value of water is delivered globally.

The Action on Disaster Relief 2021 virtual event closed on 26th February with a rousing call to action from the inter-agency workshops – inclusion, collaboration and sustainability are absolutely fundamental to protect the communities of the Caribbean, Central and Latin America. Delivering resilient disaster relief planning and preparedness is essential for a region where it’s a question of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ the next event occurs.

The Caribbean, Central and Latin American regions are regularly challenged by both natural and man-made disasters. The frequency and severity are forecasted to increase due to climate change particularly, so Action on Disaster Relief 2021 was a timely forum, bringing together local, regional and global stakeholders to discuss how best to respond.

Across the panels, Q & A and workshops three recurring themes emerged as focal points for attention:

• Inclusion – both in planning and execution, disaster relief requires true engagement with local communities. Accessing local knowledge, using informal and formal communication networks and working within established local frameworks will ensure that support will be delivered in the most effective manner.

• Collaboration – with a number of stakeholders involved in the planning and response to disasters, it is crucial to avoid duplication and overlap. Opportunity to engage and rehearse outside of disasters is rare but can identify the areas of excellence and those requiring improvement. Do not underestimate the value of personal relationships between stakeholders, easier to develop without an ongoing disaster.

• Sustainability – in the aftermath of a disaster comes a second disaster, with vast volumes of waste and additional clean-up costs arising from the emergency response. The focus should be to ‘build back better’ during the planning and preparation stages. Allocating resources to planning for disaster relief becomes more difficult when resources are constrained but payback is significant.

Considers these three themes amongst the plan to improve disaster resilience in rapidly changing climate and man-made emergency scenarios.

Translating discussions into meaningful action is a long-term activity but the motivation of organizations such as CDEMA, CEPREDENAC, UNICEF, IFRC, World Vision, Save the Children and others was clear to see. It was a privilege to participate and we at Aquatabs stand ready to do our part.

Contact us for more details of how we can support disaster preparedness and relief with our long shelf-life and compact approach to drinking water purification.

International Women’s Day is the perfect opportunity to talk careers with our General Manager, Rosie Keary. The pathway to personal and business success and the motivation that keeps the passion for the job alive.

Tell us a little about your career pathway?

I began my work career in Kersia in 2007 in the finance department, moving to supply chain manager in 2014. In 2015 the position of Financial Controller & Operations Manager became available. I felt the experience I had gained over the previous 8 years gave me the skills to step into this role with confidence. Finally, in November 2017, I achieved my goal within Kersia Ireland and became General Manager

How did you prepare yourself for advancement?

My education started with a degree in accountancy and IT, followed quickly by ACCA professional accountancy exams which were completed in 2012. I then took a little time away from studying to enjoy my family life and the achievements in my career from 2012, before starting my MBA in 2016 and completing it in 2018.

What were the benefits that you obtained moving through departments?

The advancement through different departments and challenges faced allowed me to gain a wide knowledge of all areas of the business. The largest benefit of my current position as GM, is the opportunity to interact with all departments and see both people and the organisation develop and blossom. Kersia has many world leading products and I am proud and excited to move our technology forward with our world class innovative R&D team.

What keeps you motivated?

One of my greatest passions is working directly with our very famous water disinfection brand, Aquatabs. I work in many countries, particularly developing countries, building and developing strong partnerships. With Aquatabs, we are committed to improving human health globally. Our vision is to continue partnering with the world’s major aid agencies, NGO’s, relief organisations, peacekeeping /defence forces and Ministries of Health.

The opportunity to work in an organisation that makes a day-to-day difference with an inspirational purpose, while working with great people who have passion at all levels and an openness to change is a blessing.

I am very proud to be part of the Kersia Ireland team which continues to grow and strengthen.

Rosie Keary ACCA/MBA

General Manger

March 2021

With over 90% of natural disasters being water-related and increasing in frequency and severity, the global WASH community needs to be at the forefront of building resilience against climate change. Financing resilient WASH programs using climate funding mechanisms offers a route to implementation capable of supporting integrated water resources management.

The current COVID-19 pandemic death toll is already over 2 million people globally, a truly shocking number.

But by the middle of the century we could face the same death toll every year due to the impacts of climate change according to Mark Carney, the UN Envoy for Climate Change and Finance.

No wonder Bill Gates describes this as humanity’s greatest challenge.

Nobody on the planet will be immune to the impact of climate change. Predictably, the burden is likely to fall hardest on those with the lowest resources according to some facts shared by WaterAid:

washmatters.wateraid.org/climate-change

• Only one of the current top 20 recipients of climate-related development finance for water is a Least Developed Country (LDC).

• A temperature rise of up to 2°C will require poorer countries to spend $70 – 100bn every year until 2050 to support adaptation. The majority of current finance is in the form of repayable loans, often at market rates.

• Basic WASH programmes received less than 1% of global climate finance, despite the clear evidence of link between the provision of basic WASH services and economic return.

A gap between climate change funding and programmes and WASH adaptation and resilience. Only four LDCs have climate adaptation plans in place under the National Adaptation Planning (NAP) process, despite a target for all to be ready by 2020.

Fortunately there are some activities that give us cause for hope.

The Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) global partnership recently held a very informative and well-attended webinar www.sanitationandwaterforall.org/knowledge-exchange/launch-swa-priority-focus-2021-climate-action to detail their response to the gap. Led by WaterAid and coordinating a comprehensive campaign in the run up to COP26, SWA issued a rallying call to finance resilient WASH programmes using climate change funding mechanisms.

On a more local level, we at Aquatabs have already seen the opportunity to improve WASH via environmental impact finance. The low carbon footprint of Aquatabs tablets and systems has enabled sustainable delivery of safe drinking water to over thousands of schools in Nigeria and Kenya www.impactwater.co/home.

We continue to support the global WASH community as it seeks to access increased climate change funding to adapt and build resilience.

Contact us to discuss programme proposals and ongoing activities where Aquatabs low carbon footprint can open new funding opportunities.

Sales Director

Aquatabs

(M)+353 86 836 9759

robert.cooper@kersia-group.com

Today is the 6th International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The Kersia Ireland team is enriched by our own Women of Science, occupying key positions within our organization to deliver safe and effective products to create a safer world. With backgrounds in chemistry, microbiology and other scientific disciplines, our Women of Science include an amazing range of academic excellence and practical knowledge.

We asked our Regulatory Affairs Manager, Sinead Whelan Buckley. to tell us a little about the influences that shaped her chosen career path to become a Woman of Science.

Sinead, can you give an overview of your position in Kersia Ireland?

I work as Regulatory Affairs Manager in Medentech (Kersia Ireland) in Wexford. We manufacture disinfectant products for many different uses, including disinfectants used to make water suitable for human and animal drinking, infection prevention for surface and medical device equipment in hospitals and hand sanitisers.

What does the role of a Regulatory Affairs Manager entail?

As Regulatory Affairs Manager, my job is to make sure all products manufactured onsite are safe for people to use, suitable for killing all the germs that are claimed they can kill, and to make sure the products are properly licenced and labelled in every country they are sold into it. I do this by gathering and reviewing information generated by other scientists in the company, such as research and development scientists, putting all the information together to apply for licences and answering any questions customers or government bodies might have about the products.

How and where did you become interested in science?

I became interested in science in secondary school, but when I started secondary school, I wanted to be a solicitor or a barrister and had very little interest in science! I began studying science in first year however and became more and more interested in it as time went by.

What elements helped you to become passionate about science?

Science teaches you how things work and there is also a lot of investigational work involved, which I found very interesting! For Leaving Cert, I picked 2 science subjects, Chemistry and Physics and then went onto study chemistry in college. I was fascinated by investigation; molecules the building blocks of all matter, and their interaction on structure and properties of substances.

From college to your first position, how did you hone your skills?

After college, I worked in the research & development dept of a pharmaceutical company, then moved to Medentech, originally working in validation (which involves checking equipment and processes to make sure everything is working correctly) before moving to Regulatory Affairs.

And onto a Masters of Science?

Yes, I completed a Masters in Science, focussed on Regulatory Affairs. I especially like regulatory work as it mixes science with some aspects of law, and as such, combines science with my original ambition of working in that area. This showed me that science doesn’t always have to involve working in a lab, there are lots of other areas and things you can do too!

What appeals to you about your work in Kersia Ireland?

Working in Kersia Ireland allows me to work on products for people that might not always have access to money or the resources to help themselves. For example, working with Aquatabs, which are approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) for long term drinking water disinfection, are currently helping families in the developing world.

We also to help infection prevention in hospitals in ways that people may not always think of, such as by providing products for disinfecting the areas and equipment to make sure patients don’t contract infections while already sick.

Working in science often gives you opportunities like this, opportunities to help other people. It is a very rewarding career, that is interesting to do!

Sinead Whelan Buckley

Regulatory Affairs Manager

To be truly transformative, gender equality policies and programmes need to eliminate gender stereotypes through education, change social norms, promote positive role models of women scientists and build awareness at the highest levels of decision-making.

We need to ensure that women and girls are not only participating in STEM fields, but are empowered to lead and innovate, and that they are supported by workplace policies and organizational cultures that ensure their safety, consider their needs as parents, and incentivize them to advance and thrive in these careers.”

— Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, and Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, in their joint message on the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2021

#WomenInScience #WomenScientistsattheforefrontofthefightagainstCOVID

COVID-19 headlines dominating the news agenda talk about the numbers of lives lost to the disease directly, infection rates and impact on the global economy. Less visible is the widespread damage caused to the world’s most vulnerable people from secondary impacts to ongoing water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programs, food security and the safety of remote health care facilities.

UNICEF has made the biggest donation call in it’s 75 year history to support the millions of children affected by the secondary health impacts. Your help and support is desperately needed: www.unicef.org/coronavirus/covid-19/donate

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in Healthcare facilities (HCFs) is key in the protection of all frontline workers, carers and their patients. With an estimated 1.8 billion people lacking basic water services including 712 million who have no water services at all; WASH in health care is not only a fundamental human right, it is necessary, economical and critical for the fight against this virus and for infection control / prevention of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.

In this trial, the impact of using “Aquatabs Flo” at the inlet of a domestic tank water treatment system has been shown to reduce WHO-defined diarrhoea in children by over 25% compared to the control group (untreated water). Similar reductions were estimated for caregiver-defined diarrhoea.

The study also noted some other significant points:

• “Previous blinded trials of household water treatment interventions in low-income settings have failed to detect a reduction in child diarrhoea”.

• “Previous water intervention trials have focused on household- level water treatment, (the) findings show that a low-cost automatic point-of-collection (community-level) water treatment intervention can achieve high uptake and reduce diarrhoea in a densely populated setting”

• (The study) “detected significant improvements in stored household drinking water in the treatment group compared with the control group”.

Overall, the study interpreted the results of this trial to mean that “Passive chlorination at the point of collection could be an effective and scalable strategy in low-income urban settings for reducing child diarrhoea and for achieving global progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6.1 to attain universal access to safe and affordable drinking water”.

Commenting on the result of the trial, Rosie Keary GM of Aquatabs said “Under the very toughest conditions in Bangladesh, this system has now been proven beyond doubt and children’s lives Will be saved. It is the World’s lowest-cost, automatic, no power required, tank water treatment system”.

Ms Keary went on to say that Aquatabs Flo has now been installed in domestic water tanks in over 20,000 schools in Kenya & Nigeria by the social enterprise “Impact Water” with a confirmed target of over 40,000 schools by end of year 2019. Some 10 million children now have safe water with over 2 billion litres being treated per month.

Given the unprecedented results of this study, and subsequent success of the project rollout, the team at Aquatabs now seek further partners internationally, both from the NGO and Commercial communities for installation of this life changing system in water tanks of private homes throughout the Worlds emerging communities.