When every drop counts: protecting public health during drought conditions

This document provides comprehensive, public-health focused guidelines on drought in the United States of America. It consolidates scientific evidence and guidance to help public health officials and practitioners prepare for or respond to drought at various jurisdictional levels. 

In addition to providing an overview of basic drought- and water-related information and principles (such as the definition of drought; U.S. drought and water-use trends; the relationship between drought and climate change; water distribution; water treatment and classification; and water-related policy), this document addresses numerous drought-related public health effects, which are organized into several broad categories within the document and are listed below: 

• compromised quality and quantity of potable water; 
• compromised food and nutrition;
• diminished living conditions (as they pertain to energy, air quality, and sanitation and hygiene);
• recreational risks;
• mental and behavioural health;
• vulnerable populations;
• increased disease incidence (for infectious, chronic, and vectorborne/zoonotic diseases).

To assist public health professionals and others concerned with human health during drought conditions, this document also contains information regarding drought preparation and response.