Waterborne diseases
Chapter 2 Social Pharmacy Notes 2.1 Demography and Family Planning, 2.2 Mother and child health, 2.3 Importance of breastfeeding, 2.4 Ill effects of infant milk substitutes and bottle feeding 2.5 Overview of Vaccines, 2.6 Types of immunity 2.7 Immunization 2.8 Effect of Environment on Health 2.8.1 Water pollution 2.8.1.2 Importance of safe drinking water, waterborne diseases 2.8.2 Air pollution 2.8.3 Noise pollution 2.8.4 Sewage and solid waste disposal 2.8.5 Occupational illnesses 2.8.6 Environmental pollution due to pharmaceuticals 2.8.7 Psychosocial Pharmacy: Drugs of misuse and abuse – psychotropics, narcotics, alcohol, tobacco products.
Waterborne diseases are illnesses caused by microscopic organisms, like viruses and bacteria, that are ingested through contaminated water or by coming in contact with faeces.
Waterborne diseases are conditions (meaning adverse effects on human health, such as death, disability, illness or disorders) caused by pathogenic micro-organisms that are transmitted in water
Typhoid Fever
Symptoms include:
- A fever that increases gradually
- Muscle aches
- Fatigue
- Sweating
- Diarrhea or constipation
Prevention and Treatment
Vaccines are recommended for people who are travelling 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.
Cholera
Symptoms include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Muscle cramps
Prevention and Treatment
Cholera is a waterborne illness that’s easily prevented when travelling. 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.
Giardia
Symptoms include:
- Abdominal pain
- Cramps and bloating
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Weight loss
Prevention and Treatment
While there is no vaccine for giardia, there are simple ways to avoid the infection. Wash your hands with soap often, don’t swallow water while swimming, and drink only bottled water.
With time, the immune system will typically beat giardia on its own. But, if symptoms worsen, doctors prescribe anti-parasite and antibiotic medications.
Water-poor communities cannot protect themselves from illnesses like giardia, and treatment for this illness can come at a high cost for a family living in poverty. For these reasons, Lifewater’s programs focus on long-term prevention. This includes constructing safe water sources and teaching health practices, one house at a time, until the entire community has the resources and the knowledge to prevent waterborne illness.
Dysentery
Symptoms include:
- Stomach cramps and pain
- Diarrhea
- Fever
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Dehydration
Prevention 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 travelling 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.
E. coli infection
Symptoms of dangerous strains of E. coli are similar to that of dysentery and other waterborne diseases. Most bouts of E. coli pass within a week, but older people and young children have a greater chance of developing life-threatening symptoms. Anyone believed to have been exposed to contaminated food or water should contact a doctor if diarrhoea contains blood.
Prevention and Treatment
As always, avoid water possibly contaminated by human and/or animal faeces (like ponds, rivers, and swamps). If you are going to eat ground beef, cook thoroughly. Wash fruits and vegetables well, wash hands often and drink only safe water.
To treat the disease, drink plenty of safe water, rest, and take over-the-counter diarrhoea medication.
While these are simple prevention and treatment tips, there are many remote communities in Uganda that have no choice but to drink from swamps.
Hepatitis
Symptoms include:
- Fatigue
- Clay-colored bowel movements
- Jaundice
- Nausea and vomiting
- Abdominal pain, especially near your liver
- Loss of appetite
- Sudden fever
The infection usually goes away in a few weeks, but it’s possible that it can become severe and last several months.
Prevention and Treatment
The best way to prevent hepatitis A is by getting the vaccine. Eat only foods that are thoroughly cooked and served hot, and avoid eating anything at room temperature. Only eat fruit that you can peel and that you have peeled yourself. Don’t eat from food vendors and don’t eat runny eggs or raw/rare meat.
Salmonella infection
Symptoms include:
- Blood in stool
- Chills
- Headache
- Diarrhea
Prevention and Treatment
When preparing your own food, make sure to cook thoroughly and store or freeze within 30 minutes of use. Avoid touching birds or reptiles, and as always, wash your hands frequently.
Salmonella infection dehydrates the body. Treat it by drinking fluids and electrolytes. More serious infections can require hospitalization and antibiotic
Reference: Lifewater Organisation website
Suggested readings
Recommended readings
- Poliomyelitis
- b pharmacy syllabus
- Blue waffle disease
- Typhoid Fever
- Covid 19 Epidemiology Symptoms Prevention Control
- Food poisoning
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