DIARRHEA

A Reading presented to
The Faculty of Nursing Department

A Partial Fulfillment of
The Requirements in

Submitted to:

Submitted by:

Denise Joy C. Barcuma, St. N

Sept. 10, 2022

Title: Water supply, sanitation and hygiene interventions and childhood diarrhea in Kersa and
Omo Nada districts of Jimma Zone, Ethiopia: a comparative crosssectional study

Reference: Negasa Eshete Soboksa , Abebe Beyene Hailu , Sirak Robele Gari and Bezatu
Mengistie Alemu3
Soboksa et al. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition (2019) 38:45
https://doi.org/10.1186/s41043-019-0205-1

Summary:
This study showed the relations between water supply, sanitation and hygiene
interventions, and the prevalence of childhood diarrhea in CLTS implemented and
nonimplemented kebeles in Kersa and Omo Nadda districts of Jimma Zone, Ethiopia. It was
found that almost all households in CLTS and non-CLTS kebeles collected water from protected
sources. But the use of protected source does not always mean safe. It might be contaminated
with pathogens during transport and storage.
This study showed that point-of-use drinking water treatment practices by households
were low in both CLTS and non-CLTS kebeles. This indicates that the promotion of water
treatment to improve water quality was low in both kebeles. Affordability has a significant
influence on the use of water and a selection of water sources. The high cost of water can force
households to use alternative sources of water of poorer quality that pose a greater risk to their
health [31]. In the present study, about 71.2% households in CLTS and 22.7% households in
non-CLTS kebeles reported that the fee they paid for water was not affordable.Inadequate hand
washing after defecation is an important source of transmission of diseases like diarrhea [33].
The practice of hand washing after defecation in the two districts was found to be better than
shown by a study in Afghanistan in which 25% of households washed their hands with water
and soap after defecating [34]. This difference might be due to the implementation of health
extension program of Ethiopia in line with CLTS implementation.
The study also revealed that hand washing significantly reduced the odds of childhood
diarrhea among children of CLTS kebeles. But in non-CLTS kebeles, hand washing increased
the odds of childhood diarrhea. This could be attributed to lesser hand washing effectiveness
that created favorable conditions for reproduction instead of removal of the infectious agent, or it
could be related to a lower quality of water used and the absence of soap. Hand washing with
soap has been reported to reduce diarrheal morbidity by 44% [45, 46]. This study also showed
that hand washing with water and soap reduced the odds of childhood diarrhea in both CLTS
and nonCLTS kebeles. This study has some limitations. Recall bias and community desirability
bias may have occurred due to the individual decision of the mother regarding diarrhea and
poor reporting of behavioral factors like defecation site, hand washing, and child feces disposal
practices. Due to financial problem, the amount of water sampled was low, and the results were
not included in the regression model.
The study showed that most of the households of CLTS and non-CLTS kebeles collected
water from protected sources. However, almost all water samples collected from these
households were contaminated by fecal bacteria and were unsafe for human consumption. In
addition, household’s water treatment practice at the point of use was still low in both CLTS and
non-CLTS kebeles.
Reaction:
This article helped understand more about water supply, sanitation and hygiene
interventions, and he prevalence of childhood diarrhea. Stools that are unusually loose or
watery are signs of diarrhea. It is indeed a leading cause of child mortality and morbidity in
the world, and mostly results from contaminated food and water sources. It is both
preventable and treatable. The most severe threat posed by diarrhoea is dehydration.
During a diarrhoeal episode, water and electrolytes such as sodium, chloride, potassium
and bicarbonate are lost through liquid stools, vomit, sweat, urine and breathing.
Dehydration occurs when these losses are not replaced. Water contaminated with
human faeces, for example, from sewage, septic tanks and latrines, is of particular
concern. Animal faeces also contain microorganisms that can cause diarrhoea.
To keep everyone and not only the younger ones from having this kind of
disease, we must remember to do these things; access to safe drinking-water; use of
improved sanitation; hand washing with soap; exclusive breastfeeding for the first six
months of life; good personal and food hygiene; health education about how infections
spread; and rotavirus vaccination. Washing our hands regularly is very important
because we don’t what kind of diseases we can get from the things we touch.
Overall, as a nursing student, this article did helped me learn more about the
diarrhea and its causes. And it is helpful especially when I encounter people that have
no knowledge about sanitation and having proper hygeine.