Water-Related Diseases

Overview: Water-borne diseases are any illness caused by drinking water, which contain pathogenic microorganisms. Over the past decades, the picture of water related human health issues has become increasingly comprehensive, with the emergence of new water related infection diseases and the re-emergence of ones already known. Data are available for some water, sanitation and hygiene related diseases, but for others such malaria, schistosomiasis the analyses remain to be done.

Problems associated: More than 2 million people die each year from diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and dysentery that are spread by contaminated water or by a lack of water for hygiene. These illnesses have largely been eradicated in developed nations, although outbreaks can still occur. The most common water related diseases are Diarrhea, Arsenicosis, Cholera, Fluorosis, Guinea worm disease, Intestinal worms, Typhoid. 
 

Statistics: In Argentina, diarrhea, septicemia, and gastrointestinal infections are three of the top 10 causes of death for children under 5. As per the WHO data there are 2.3% of children aged <5 are under weight, Under-five mortality rate (probability of dying by age 5 per 1000 live births) are 15 in 2009, Maternal mortality ratio (per 100 000 live births) 2015 is 70.

Treatment & Prevention: Essential to prevention efforts are clean drinking water, restaurant and meat inspection, temperature monitoring, appropriate sewage processing, monitoring of public waterways for contamination, and public education on proper hygiene. Vaccines are available for hepatitis A and typhoid fever. Most acute diarrhea episodes are self–limited. Oral or intravenous rehydration therapy may be needed, and an antimotility drug (eg, loperamide) may be useful in viral diarrhea.