WATER-BORNE DISEASES

There are a lot of diseases around us and they all have their own ways of affecting creatures. There is air- borne diseases i.e. diseases Caused by inhaling polluted or contaminated air, and water- borne diseases.

Water-borne diseases are diseases caused by drinking of contaminated 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; according to the World Health Organization, such disease account for an estimated 4.1% of the total DALY 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.

Contaminated water contains micro organisms that harm the human system whenever they come into contact with it. The term "waterborne disease" is reserved largely for infections that predominantly are transmitted through contact with or consumption of infected water. With this assertion, we could say malaria is also a water-borne disease. This point is very arguable.

Ideas about this argument vary. According to some scholars, it is a common practice

to refer diseases such as malaria as "waterborne” just because mosquitoes have aquatic phases in

their life cycles, or because treating the water they inhabit happens to be an effective strategy in

control of the mosquitoes that are the vectors. Others think otherwise.

Some of the water- borne diseases are, Anemia, Cholera, Diarrhea, Dracunculiasis, Hepatitis, Hookworm infection, Malaria, Onchocerciasis, Polio, Ring Worm or Tinea, Scabies, Schistomiasis, Trachom, Trichuriasis,Typhoid etc.

People drinking contaminated water

The above mentioned diseases are very harmful to human especially when he gets into contact with contaminated or polluted water.

Water borne diseases as we all know is very harmful and can have an impact or effect on the person infected, people around that person and also the economy entirely. Water-borne diseases are curable yet one could lose his or her life as a result. An infected person goes through pain. Those around him or her also go through some kind of trauma.  The economy as a whole is also affected when water-borne disease is at its peak or on the rise.

NB: Waterborne diseases can have a significant impact on the economy, locally as well as internationally. People who are infected by a waterborne disease are usually confronted with related costs and not seldom with a huge financial burden. This is especially the case in less developed countries. The financial losses are mostly caused by e.g. costs for medical treatment and medication, costs for transport, special food, and by the loss of manpower. Many families must even sell their land to pay for treatment in a proper hospital. On average, a family spends about 10% of the monthly households’ income per person infected.

This i think is a very big disadvantage. Appropriate measures ought to be put in place to avoid these diseases. I will address them in my next post.