Waterborne killers

The World Health Organisation says that every year more than 3.4 million people die as a result of water-related diseases, making it the leading cause of disease and death around the world. Most of the victims are young children, the vast majority of whom die of illnesses caused by organisms that thrive in water sources contaminated by raw sewage. Waterborne diseases are caused by drinking contaminated or dirty water. Contaminated water can cause many types of diarrheal diseases, including Cholera, and other serious illnesses such as Guinea worm disease, typhoid, and dysentery. Waterborne diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms that most commonly are transmitted in contaminated fresh water. Infection commonly results during bathing, washing, drinking, in the preparation of food, or the consumption of food that is infected.With copious rains that have been received across the country, including the north so prone to flooding at standing water ponds, people must take heed now more than ever, to ensure that they boil all water if they are collecting rain water, before they drink it. A report published recently in the medical journal The Lancet concluded that poor water sanitation and a lack of safe drinking water take a greater human toll than war, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction combined.According to an assessment commissioned by the United Nations, 4 000 children die each day as a result of diseases caused by ingestion of filthy water. The report says four out of every ten people in the world, particularly those in Africa and Asia, do not have clean water to drink.Resources analyst Erik Peterson, of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, describes the water crisis this way:“At any given time, close to half the population of the developing world is suffering from waterborne diseases associated with inadequate provision of water and sanitation services,” Peterson explained. “There are about four billion cases of diarrhoea disease per year, resulting in about one or two million deaths, some 90% percent of which, tragically, are in children under the age of five.”Cholera, typhoid fever and hepatitis A are caused by bacteria, and are among the most common diarrhoeal diseases. Other illnesses, such as dysentery, are caused by parasites that live in water contaminated by the faeces of sick individuals. Lakes and streams which people use for drinking water, bathing and defecating are sources of disease, as is water left by natural disasters. People can also contract a diarrhoeal disease by eating food that's prepared by sick individuals who have not washed their hands, or touching something handled by an infected person and then putting their own hands into their mouths.Marla Smith-Nelson helped form Water Partners International, after becoming alarmed by the health impact of unclean water in some of the world's poorest countries.“In Ethiopia, I believe one in five children are dying before they reach the age of five. So, we are working in countries that have significant water issues,” she said. “But there are so many countries that have severe water issues, I don't want to paint a picture that we are working in the absolute worst places. I think it's probably a tie among a lot of different countries where there are issues.”Experts say there are both short-term and long term-measures that can be taken to prevent the spread of waterborne illnesses. In the short term, they say people should wash their hands as much as possible, use a latrine, even if it's a hole in the ground, and boil water and store it. In the long term, better infrastructure and sanitation systems are required.WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION

Waterborne killers

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-07

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Waterborne killers

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-07

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