Comparison of the Prevalence of Selected Waterborne Diseases such as Diarrheal and Typhoid Diseases

Comparison of the Prevalence of Selected Waterborne Diseases such as       

         Diarrheal and Typhoid Diseases

 

Diarrheal Disease

What is diarrheal disease?  It is a frequent and extreme releasing of the bowels with watery feces, typically this is considered as a warning sign of gastrointestinal infection. 

According to (WHO) World Health Organization, prevalence of waterborne diseases like diarrheal disease causes a big health problem nowadays in all parts of the globe.   In the developing countries, diarrhea is the second leading cause of malnutrition and death among children below 5 years of age and has adverse effects to children under two years old.  In the United States, this disease is commonly caused by food-borne and water-borne outbreaks. It is killing 1.5 million of children yearly while it has been reported by (WHO World Health Organization that there is already 2 billion cases of diarrheal disease worldwide.   Diarrhea patient can last only for several days if without immediate medical treatment.  Many people die from diarrhea because of the severe dehydration and fluid loss in the body.  Water and salts are most essential elements that are needed in order to survive from this kind of water-born disease. (From the cluster on Communicable Diseases (CDS) and the Water, Sanitation and Health unit (WSH) of WHO)

Acute Diarrhea and Chronic Diarrhea

Acute diarrhea is associated with abdominal cramping and bloating.    This leads to severe dehydration and electrolyte losses of the body.  This is usually caused by a viral gastroenteritis, antibiotics and drugs that contain magnesium are best medicine to take.  Usually, acute diarrhea can be resolving fast even without medication just be careful with the food that you eat like ground beef or fresh fruit since they have E’coli. It is very important for the patient to take plenty of water and salt. Taking Milk and dairy products worsen the disease.  Patients must avoid eating these kinds of foods within 24 to 48 hours.  Soups and broth are recommended as initial dietary in take. The doctors may prescribe antibiotics for those who have high fever, and dysentery. On the other hand, Chronic diarrhea may last for 2 weeks, you can observe that the stools become bloody, oily and watery.  This is caused by (IBD) Inflammatory Bowel Disease which includes ulcerative colitis.  You will experience weight loss, abdominal pain and loss of appetite.  Other causes of acute diarrhea are radiation therapy and colon cancer. (From the cluster on Communicable Diseases (CDS) and the Water, Sanitation and Health unit (WSH) of WHO)

How to treat chronic diarrhea? A stool sample test will determine the type of diarrhea a patient has. Aside from that, the patient should undergo a series of laboratory tests such as blood count if there is possible anemia and infections; and an electrolyte count assessment as well as the examination of the kidney in order to assess patient’s total nutritional status.  Endoscopic examination of the colon is most common evaluation of chronic diarrhea. Medicines such as Antimotility agents and opiate antidarrheal are the most effective drugs for chronic diarrhea treatment. (From the cluster on Communicable Diseases (CDS) and the Water, Sanitation and Health unit (WSH) of WHO)

Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fever

In comparison, typhoid and paratyphoid fevers are infections that are being brought by bacteria which transmitted from feces and urine of people  through eating and drinking.  Drinking contaminated water is one of the leading causes of typhoid fever among people worldwide. This disease is very widespread in low industrialized countries which has major problem in sewage disposal and flooding, as well as having the problem of unsafe drinking water.  Based on the research made, there is about 17 million cases of typhoid fever   every year around the globe.  Preventive measures have been thought by many public health authorities in order to lessen the widespread of typhoid fever such as personal hygiene, through regular hand-washing before eating and preparing food, after toilet use a, having  a safe water supply and proper sanitation systems.  There are preventive measures for fighting against typhoid, and two of those are vaccination and taking antibiotics drugs.   But these remedies do not really provide complete protection and cure from the infection.  (From the cluster on Communicable Diseases (CDS) and the Water, Sanitation and Health unit (WSH) of WHO)

How does the Disease Affects the People

Typhoid fever is a bacterial infection caused by Salmonella typhi and Salmonella paratyphi of the intestinal tract and bloodstream.  Most patients experience fever as high as 39 to 40 degrees Celsius and other symptoms such as depression, anorexia, headache, diarrhea or constipation; as well as enlarging the liver and spleen.  All these symptoms will manifest after one to three weeks of contamination.  The same symptoms are being experienced in paratyphoid fever but it is milder than typhoid fever.  Remember, once a person is already contaminated by the bacteria, they increasingly grow and spread inside the intestines then passing through the bloodstream.  Despite the recovery from this disease, there is still possibility that the patient will be the carrier of the bacteria and this person can pass on the infection to others.  (From the cluster on Communicable Diseases (CDS) and the Water, Sanitation and Health unit (WSH) of WHO)

  Although, both diarrheal and typhoid fever diseases need extra preventive measures and appropriate medical attention.  It may therefore conclude that typhoid fever disease is more serious and contagious or infectious compared to diarrheal disease.

References:

Prepared for World Water Day 2001. Reviewed by staff and experts from the cluster on Communicable Diseases (CDS) and the Water, Sanitation and Health unit (WSH), World Health Organization (WHO)

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