ACTIVITY_CHAPTER 6

Instructions: In order to answer your activity, you must watch the video first about
"Waterborne Disease" that has been posted in your main class

Give at least three (3) common waterborne diseases and explain on how to prevent
them.

1. Typhoid Fever
Although rare in industrialized countries, typhoid fever is well-known in extremely poor parts of
developing nations; it’s estimated that up to 20million people worldwide suffer from the illness
each year. It’s spread through contaminated food, unsafe water, and poor sanitation, and it is
highly contagious.

Prevent and treatment:

Vaccines are recommended for people who are traveling in areas where poor sanitation and
unsafe water are common. The vaccine can be injected via a shot or taken orally for a number
of days. To prevent it, refrain from drinking any water that isn’t bottled and sealed, and do not
eat food from villages or street vendors. Typhoid is treated with antibiotics

2. Cholera
Cholera is commonly found in humanitarian emergencies or marginalized villages where poverty
and poor sanitation are rampant. The disease is spread through contaminated water and
causes severe dehydration and diarrhea.

Prevent and treatment:

Life water helps prevent cholera in remote villages by teaching families how to construct their
own hand washing devices. To date, 5,970 homes in Ethiopia alone have built their own hand
washing station (called a “tippy tap“) using locally-sourced materials.

Cholera is a waterborne illness that’s easily prevented when traveling. Wash your hands often,
only eat foods that are completely cooked and hot (no sushi), and only eat vegetables you can
peel yourself, like avocados, bananas, and oranges. Of course, drink safe water.

3. Dysentery
An intestinal infection, dysentery is a waterborne disease characterized by severe diarrhea as
well as blood or mucus in the stool. Dysentery is good reason to always wash your hands, as
the disease is spread mainly through poor hygiene. It can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or
parasites in unsafe food and water and by people coming in contact with fecal matter. If
someone experiencing dysentery cannot replace fluids quickly enough, their life could be at risk.
Prevent and treatment:
To prevent dysentery, wash your hands with soap frequently, order all drinks without ice, don’t
eat food sold by street vendors, and only eat fruits you can peel. Drink only sealed, bottled
water while traveling in places with higher dysentery risk, such as communities where proper
hygiene practices are uncommon.

Mild dysentery usually clears up with rest and fluids, but over-the-counter medications such as
Pepto-Bismol can help with stomach cramping. More severe cases can be treated with
antibiotics, although some strains of the disease are resistant.