DISEASES WE COULD GET FROM POOR ENVIRONMENTAL

SANITATION

A. Some diseases and disorders due to poor sanitation are:

1. Respiratory Diseases
Poor environmental sanitation causes outdoor and indoor
pollution. Acute respiratory infection, such as pneumonia and
chronic respiratory diseases, are linked to poor sanitation. There
is also increasing evidence that poor environmental sanitation
increases the risk of tuberculosis. Respiratory infections are one
of the biggest causes of deaths in the world every year. Half of
these reported deaths are children.

2. Skin Diseases
Poor environmental sanitation can also cause some skin
diseases. Scabies is not considered a serious condition, but it is
very common in poor crowded communities which may
seriously impair the quality of life of affected children. It is a
parasite infestation of the skin caused by microscopic mites that
burrow into the skin.

3. Gastrointestinal Diseases and Disorders

Diarrhea and cholera are two common gastrointestinal
diseases caused by poor sanitation and hygiene. Diarrheal diseases
are the most common problem caused by poor sanitation and
contaminated water. Cholera is a bacterial infection throughout the
intestinal tract. If not treated, it can cause severe dehydration and
death. The kind of germs – parasites, bacteria, viruses – depend on
the geographic area where a person lives and its level of sanitation
and hygiene standards.

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 Ascariasis (roundworm infection), trichiniasis (whipworm), and hookworm disease are
intestinal worm infections caused by poor sanitation. They are all transmitted through soil
contamination with bowel discharge containing infective eggs or larvae. Transmission may take
place near the home, or in communal area with poor sanitation facilities and that is pollutes with
human feces.

4. Neurological Impairments
Neurological impairments are a group of disorders that
affect the central and peripheral nervous system – the brain,
spinal cord, and the nerves. Some of these disorders are
epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias,
cerebrovascular diseases including stroke, migraine and other
headache disorders, and multiple sclerosis. A neurological
impairment or disability may affect a person’s impairment or
disability may affect a person’s speech, motor skills, vision, memory, muscle actions, and
learning abilities.

B. Diseases Carried by Pests and Rodents

Unsanitary surroundings attract pests and rodents. These

pest and rodents are carriers of disease-causing organisms like
bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Some diseases caused by pests and
rodents are:

a. salmonellosis is a condition caused by bacteria of the salmonella group. It is a type of

food poisoning which can cause gastroenteritis, headache, fever, and vomiting.

b. leptospirosis is an infectious bacterial disease that occurs in rodents and can be

transmitted to humans. The disease is usually contacted by wading through flood waters
contaminated with mice urine.

c. plague is a disease of rodents caused by bacteria. Rat fleas feed on a bacteria-infected

rodent and transmit the disease to humans through biting.

d. rat-bite fever is a disease of rodents caused by bacteria. It is usually transmitted to

humans through rat biting.

e. dengue is caused by any one of four related viruses transmitted by mosquitoes.

f. hepatitis A is a form of viral hepatitis transmitted in food causing fever and jaundice.

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