Rural electrification in Brazil and implications for schistosomiasis transmission: a preliminary study in a rural community in Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Abstract

Abstractobjectives To evaluate the potential transmission of Schistosoma mansoni through well water pumped into households in a rural Brazilian community within the context of Brazil's rural electrification program Luz Para Todos (Light for All).methods All households were interviewed about their water facilities and domestic water use, all household members were examined for S. mansoni infections and positives treated, and malacological and water contact studies were performed between 2001 and 2009.results Thirty-one of the 142 households in the Virgem das Graças study area owned wells with electric pumps in 2009, vs. no wells in 2001, and the number of water storage tanks increased from 85 to 131. The potential for schistosomiasis transmission through piped well water was indicated by the recovery of Biomphalaria gabrata, including S. mansoni-infected snails, from wells, the presence of Biomphalaria in tanks and the ability of S. mansoni cercariae to remain infective for considerable distances in flowing water. However, access to well water was not associated with higher S. mansoni infection rates.conclusions Our results indicate that further studies are needed to determine the infectivity of well water and its impact on schistosomiasis transmission.

Addressing vulnerability, building resilience: community-based adaptation to vector-borne diseases in the context of global change

“…Greater house infestations of triatomine bugs, that spread Chagas disease, can occur from simple improvements in public streetlights, as documented in Yucatan, Mexico [ 46 ]. Electric pumps installed as part of a rural electrification project in Brazil were found to be a risk factor for schistosomiasis spread [ 47 ]. The urban mosquitos Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus that spread dengue fever, Zika, and chikungunya proliferate in man-made containers, such as tyres, pots and water storage containers [ 48 ].…”

The Relationship between Water, Sanitation and Schistosomiasis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…We considered all types of water in Box 1 as ‘safe’, and all types of sanitation in Box 1 as ‘adequate’. We considered ‘well’ to be a safe water source, except in Brazil, where ‘wells’ often consisted of pond-like water bodies, in contrast to the hand-dug wells in sub-Saharan Africa that are unlikely to contain snails or allow for water contact [36] . We considered use of soap during water contact as ‘good’ hygiene practice.…”

Conceptualising the effect of access to electricity on health in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review

“…In terms of the effect of electrification on vector-borne disease, the results were also mixed. A cross-sectional study by Kloos, Quites, Oliveira, LoVerde, and Gazzinelli (2012) identified lower schistosomiasis infection rates among individuals in households with an electric well following a mass rural electrification programme in Brazil (Kloos et al, 2012). This could potentially be due to reduced use of streams and thus contact with contaminated water as a result of water getting pumped directly to the households (Kloos et al, 2012).…”

“…A cross-sectional study by Kloos, Quites, Oliveira, LoVerde, and Gazzinelli (2012) identified lower schistosomiasis infection rates among individuals in households with an electric well following a mass rural electrification programme in Brazil (Kloos et al, 2012). This could potentially be due to reduced use of streams and thus contact with contaminated water as a result of water getting pumped directly to the households (Kloos et al, 2012). In evaluating the effects of establishing an electricity supply to rural villages in Iran, however, a retrospective panel study by Izadi (2015) found that the presence of electricity in a village was not associated with the annual number of malaria cases (Izadi, 2015) and that village electrification may have in fact been harmful, with the availability of light after dark potentially leading to increased malaria transmission by encouraging people to spend more time outside after dark and attracting the mosquito vectors to light sources (Izadi, 2015).…”

“…Electricity is necessary to operate large scale water treatment facilities, reducing the spread of illnesses though proper waste disposal and the provision of clean drinking water and minimising the need to seek water from uncovered sources (DeBaillie, n.d.), and also increases access to hot water, facilitating improved sanitation, hygiene, and sterilisation practices (World Health Organization, 2019). These factors were linked to reduced infant and under five mortality and lower rates of overall disease in a number of included studies (Kloos et al, 2012;Parikh et al, 2015;van de Poel et al, 2009;Wang, 2002).…”