Whats in your Water?

: Common Water-Borne Diseases

What are water-borne diseases?
Waterborne diseases are caused by
pathogenic microorganisms that most
commonly are transmitted in contaminated
fresh water. Infection commonly results
during bathing, washing, drinking, in the
preparation of food, or the consumption of
food thus infected. Various forms of
waterborne diarrheal disease probably are
the most prominent examples, and affect
mainly children in developing countries.
Such diseases account for an estimated
4.1% of the total global burden of disease,
and cause about 1.8 million human deaths
annually. The World Health Organization
estimates that 88% of that burden is
attributable to unsafe water supply,
sanitation and hygiene.

Incidence in the Philippines:

Locally, environment current issues,
like uncontrolled deforestation especially in
watershed area and unrestrained dumping
or wastes cause floods. Floods would
cause water pollution in large areas leading
to high incidence of waterborne diseases
such as:

HEPATITIS A
What it is: A highly contagious liver
disease caused when a person eats food or
drinks water contaminated with the feces of an
infected person. According to WHO, The
disease is closely associated with a lack of safe
water, inadequate sanitation and poor personal
hygiene.
What it does: Unlike hepatitis B and C,
hepatitis A does not cause chronic liver failure.
Expect fatigue, abdominal pain especially
beneath your right lower ribs, and loss of
appetite, dark urine, muscle pain, jaundice, and
low-grade fever. Symptoms last from less than
2 months to 6 months.

CHOLERA
What it is: An extremely dangerous
but easily treatable bacterial disease that
the World Health Organization says is
linked to inadequate environmental
management. Examples include urban
slums and refugee camps where
minimum requirements of clean water
and sanitation are not met.
What it does: Cholera can kill within
hours if left untreated. It can cause
severe watery diarrhea, vomiting and liver
failure.

SCHISTOSOMIASIS

What it is: Caused by parasitic

trematode flatworm Schistosoma; fresh
LEPTOSPIROSIS
water snails act as intermediate host and
What it is: An infectious disease caused
release larval form of parasite that
by an organism passed from animals to
penetrates the skin of people exposed to
humans, often by coming in contact with water
contaminated water; worms mature and
contaminated with the urine of cattle, pigs, rats,
reproduce in the blood vessels, liver,
cats and dogs.
kidneys, and intestines releasing eggs,
What it does: Causes mild, flu-like
which become trapped in tissues
symptoms that disappear in 5-7 days. Severe
triggering an immune response
complications may result in kidney failure, liver
What it does: It may manifest as
dysfunction, pneumonitis and damage to the
either urinary or intestinal disease
circulatory system.
resulting in decreased work or learning
capacity; mortality, while generally low,
may occur in advanced cases usually due
TYPHOID FEVER
to bladder cancer.
What it is: A life-threatening bacterial disease transmitted by eating food or
drinking water contaminated by the feces or urine of infected people.
What it does: Causes high sustained fever of 39-40C. Complications include
intestinal bleeding, which, according to mayoclinic.com, is signaled by a sudden drop in
blood pressure, shock and blood in your stool. It can also cause pneumonia, meningitis
and delirium, among others.