Threat of waterborne diseases goes unnoticed

[Naveed Yaseen]

Muhammad Qasim
Diseases like acute gastroenteritis, cholera, typhoid, shigella and hepatitis A and E are caused mainly by consumption of contaminated water, but the major threat to public health remains one of the most underrated issues politically, say health experts.

“Waterborne diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms mainly through drinking water,” said Head of Department of Medicine at Holy Family Hospital and President-elect Pakistan Society of Hepatology Professor Dr. Muhammad Umar while talking to ‘The News’ here on Tuesday.

“Waterborne diseases are responsible for over 12 million deaths worldwide while polluted water is the biggest cause of diseases in Pakistan,” he said and added that 60% of the affected are children with diseases such as diarrhoea which proves fatal for many.

Gastroenteritis is caused by Salmonella Astrovirus, Calicivirus, Enteric Adenovirus, and Parvovirus and symptoms include diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, fever, malaise, and abdominal pain, said Dr Umar.

He said that one of the major water related disease is cholera, whose germs are thought to be transmitted only by water while typhoid fever has also been traced to this cause at numerous instances.

Hepatitis A in children and hepatitis E in adults can manifest itself in water with symptoms including fatigue, fever, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhoea, weight loss, itching, jaundice and depression, he explained.

Water pollution poses a major threat to public health in Pakistan while it remains to be one of the most underrated issues politically. Human activities such as improper sewage disposal, discharge of factory waste into fresh water sources, negligent usage of fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides, unclean storage tanks and taps all contribute towards contamination of water, he said.

About 90% people of Pakistan drink water directly from taps which is unfit for human consumption as the water purifying system here is not efficient because of little attention given to such a grave issue, said Dr Umar while responding to a query.

Talking on preventive measures, he said that syrups (sharbats) and cut fruits available at local vendors should not be consumed. “Only fully cooked food should be eaten. He also advised people to wash their hands with soap before taking meals and after going to toilet.

He said that the cheapest and easiest way to purify water is to boil it or chlorinate it before use and store it in a clean container. Add 100 grams of bleaching powder to one litre of water and boil it. After boiling, store the concentrate (boiled one) in a clean jar, and each time, add only three teaspoonfuls of the concentrate in 10-15 litres of water to make it purified, he added.

To a query, Dr Umar said that people should refrain from swimming in contaminated water in nullahs because many parasites enter the body through feet and legs. “Hygienic disposal of human waste can help control a number of waterborne diseases,” he said.

Professor Umar said that the prevalence of waterborne diseases has increased after construction of dams because the stagnant water behind dams is ideal for snails, the intermediary host for many types of worms. “Irrigation channels and other constructed waterways and building fast-flowing streams makes it more difficult for snails to survive, thus eliminating the intermediary host, he said.

Dr Zahid Mahmood Minhas of Holy Family Hospital said that improving public sanitation and providing a clean water supply are the two steps needed to prevent most waterborne diseases and deaths. “In particular, constructing sanitary latrines and treating waste water to allow for biodegradation of human waste will help curb diseases caused by pollution.”

“While the cost of building freshwater supply systems and sanitation facilities is high, the costs of not doing so can become staggering. In Karachi, for example, a study revealed that poor people living in areas without any sanitation or hygiene education spent six times more on medical care than people who lived in areas with access to sanitation and who had a basic knowledge of household hygiene. Thus, prevention is better than cure,” said Professor Umar.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=189374