Diarrhoea and effects of different water sources, sanitation and hygiene behaviour in East Africa

Abstract

SummaryApart from Drawers of Water (DOW I) published in 1972, there have been only a handful of published studies on domestic water use and environmental health in East Africa, based on direct observations or other reliable research methods. The objective of this study was to carry out a repeat analysis of domestic water use and environmental health in East Africa based on DOW I. The study was conducted in the same sites as DOW I. Field assistants spent at least 1 day in each household observing and conducting semi-structured interviews. They measured the amount of water collected, recorded the amount of water used in the home, and noted household socio-demographic characteristics, prevalence of diarrhoea, state and use of latrines, sources of water and conditions of use. We surveyed 1015 households in 33 sites in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya in 1997. From 1967to 1997, the prevalence of diarrhoea, in the week preceding the survey, increased from 6% to 18% in Kenya and from 16% to 21% in Uganda; it declined slightly in Tanzania (11-8%). Determinants of diarrhoea morbidity included poor hygiene (unsafe disposal of faeces and wastewater), education level of household head, obtaining water from surface sources or wells and per capita water used for cleaning. Hygiene practices are an important complement to improved water and sanitation in reducing diarrhoea morbidity.

Boma to banda - A disease sentinel concept for reduction of diarrhoea

“…Given that both Cryptosporidium and Giardia have been identified in water sources in the area, water may play a role in diarrhoeal disease transmission and is especially critical to address from a public health perspective (Graczyk et al 1997;Tumwine et al 2002). To best minimize the waterborne risk of transmission, it is recommended that appropriate options for water treatment at the point of use be made available to households and that water supplies for the household and livestock be kept as separate as possible to prevent contamination.…”

Bacterial Etiology of Diarrhoeal Disease in Children and Antibiogram of the Isolates

“…The mortality rate for children under-five years suffering from acute Diarrhoea has fallen from 4.5 million deaths annually in 1979 to 1.6 million deaths in 2002 but continues to be highest among the children of developing countries [1]. Diarrhoea is the second most common cause of morbidity and third most common cause of mortality among children aged 12-59 months in Nepal [2]. Diarrhoea alone kills more children than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined [3].…”

“…Nearly 90% of Diarrhoea is attributed to unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene [8]. Diarrhoeal disease due to unsafe water and lack of sanitation is the greatest cause of morbidity and mortality in under-five children in the world, especially in poor countries [2,8].…”

Contrasting occurrence of Chromobacterium violaceum in tropical drinking water springs of Uganda

“…C. violaceum has been reported to have more severe effects on people in a state of malnourishment, immune deficiency and who are immunocompromised (Macher et al 1982;Bilton & Johnson 2000;Moore et al 2001). Additionally, the poor access to sanitation and safe water service in some lowincome areas in both rural and urban Uganda has been linked to waterborne disease outbreaks and is a cause of concern (Legros et al 2000;Tumwine et al 2002).…”

“…; Tumwine et al 2002), an infection with symptoms such as sepsis and abscesses in multiple organs (Macher et al 1982;Richard 1993 we report about the presence of C. violaceum in potable water. To our knowledge, this is the first report about the presence of C. violaceum in water designated for drinking.…”