In humanitarian emergencies, water and sanitation systems are often vulnerable to attack, especially during conflict. With no potable water or adequate sanitation and hygiene facilities, communities, children especially (particularly those already malnourished and with weakened immune systems) become even more susceptible to outbreaks of water-borne diseases, including Cholera and Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD).
In such recent outbreak settings, the use of Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) to support the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector has increased. Different models of RRTs have been used as part of the response to cholera outbreaks in countries such as Yemen, Haiti, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo