The true impact of illnesses spread via the drinking water route is difficult to quantify, given continual under-reporting and similar symptomology to other infection routes or illnesses, such as food poisoning, colds or flu.
Waterborne disease tracking and reporting Tracking causative agents of waterborne disease is complicated by a number of factors. One factor is that requirements for reporting diseases in the US are mandated at the state level. Only a handful of waterborne diseases, however, were selected as nationally notifiable illnesses and are recorded in the database Table 1.
Reportable waterborne illnesses may have short incubation periods i. Many infections are asymptomatic; however, the infected individual can still shed organisms in their stool and transmit the disease to others. Carriage rates range from days to months post-infection. Often infections are self-limiting and mild but others can be serious or fatal. Due to similar symptomology to other pathogens, isolation of the organism from biological samples or detection of antibodies in host sera is required criteria for laboratory diagnosis.
Other strains of Vibrio bacteria are not classified as cases of cholera. While only confirmed cases are listed in the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, worldwide approximately three to five million cases of cholera occur resulting in about , deaths per year.
In , Cryptosporidium was responsible for the largest documented US waterborne disease outbreak since formal surveillance and reporting began.
Chlorine-resistant and commonly carried and shed in cattle feces, agricultural regions and storm water runoff are key variables for increased exposure risks. Contaminants can enter water supplies through various means. For instance, the ground absorbs contaminants. The absorbed materials contaminate ground water sources, broken pipes, and excess water run-off during heavy rain periods.
In some cases the water could smell or taste different. However, many contaminants have no taste or odor. This leaves no indication of contamination. Boiling does kill most types of parasites, bacteria, and viruses. Additionally, it increases concentrations of other contaminants due to evaporation of water. Once contracted, salmonella and other bacteria like E. Human transmission of salmonella is most common between infants who do not practice good hygiene, as well as by eating food that has been prepared by someone infected with salmonella.
Due to the poor standards of sanitation present in the communities we work with, an outbreak of salmonella is never far away. One of the most common side effects of contaminated water is diarrhea which, for the majority, will go away after a day or more.
For those able to read this blog post, diarrhea is easily treatable with off-the-shelf medication, as well as ensuring that a bathroom facility is always close by. In the First World, it is nothing more than an inconvenience, but in the Global South where conditions are far different, that is not the case. Many of the communities we work with are not only without basic sanitation facilities, but they are also overcrowded. This means the communities most susceptible to outbreaks of salmonella also struggle with a lack of facilities when dealing with the side effects.
That certainly does not aid the already poor sanitation and hygiene levels present, meaning that transmission is likely to continue within the community. Dirty drinking water can have a profound effect on not just the person drinking it, but also the community for the reasons already explained above.
Therefore, charities such as ILM UK are working hard to take away the need for drinking untreated water by delivering a source of clean and healthy water. Our H2Oath water appeal has been set up to do just that. Soon, the community got to work, they set up a water management committee, dug the well and brought fresh water to their own village.
World Vision staff also conducted health awareness training to children, families and teachers to help people better understand the importance of drinking clean water and boiling unclean water to purify it.
For Maiphan, having a water source five-minutes away from his home has made a huge different. He no longer misses school because he is too sick. Our Work. Where We Work. Maiphan used to miss school a lot.
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