Inadequate sanitation is a major cause of disease world-wide and improving sanitation is known to have a significant beneficial impact on health both in households and across communities. Provision of water and sanitation also plays an essential role in protecting human health during crisis and disease outbreaks. 

Ethics are concerned with moral principles, values, and professional conducts that are in alignment with the best available standards. Health care raises numerous ethical concerns, related to, for example, health care delivery, professional integrity, data handling, and the use of human subjects in research.