Global waterborne outbreak

Global waterborne outbreak

Role of EPA / CDC

EPA and CDC coordinate surveillance and document occurrence of waterborne disease outbreaks. The surveillance system collects data on outbreaks associated with drinking water including outbreaks of infectious diseases and illness from chemical toxicity.

WHO's definition of a waterborne outbreak is when two or more persons experience a similar illness after drinking the same water from the same source and when the epidemiological evidence implicates the water as the source of the illness. Outbreaks can be caused by water contaminated with pathogens, chemicals, or toxins which can be spread through ingestion and contact with contaminated water.

Following CDC reports which are available in their website could be very useful for reference in case there is an outbreak of water related diseases:

- Boil Water Advisory procedures for the public

- Boil Water Advisory procedures for public health professionals

- Drinking Water Advisory Communication Toolbox for water utilities and public health professionals

For a complete list of natural disasters and how to prepare and respond to them, visit CDC's Natural Disasters and Severe Weather page.

Statistics

A total of 1,428 outbreaks of water related diseases had been reported from 1991 to 2008. It has been reported that 49.6% of the outbreak events were caused by bacteria, 39.3% by viruses, and 11.1% by parasites.

6.5% of the outbreak events were caused by agents that could be transmitted by direct contact. 1.1% transmitted through vectors, 63.5% through environmental transmission and 28.9% by zoonotic routes.

In biology, a vector is an organism that does not cause disease itself but which spreads infection by conveying pathogens from one host to another. Species of mosquito, for example, serve as vectors for the deadly disease Malaria. Zoonotic transmission transmits diseases from animals to human. The population density was shown to be a significant risk factor for reported outbreaks of all categories of water-associated infectious diseases and the probability of outbreak occurrence increased with the population density.

Common causes of outbreaks

Investigation analysis has revealed a number of common causes of outbreaks across the world. These are listed below.

- Wastewater contamination of raw water source in combination with disinfection deficiencies

- In adequate disinfection in Public water treatment

- Cross-connections

- Regrowth in the distribution system

Similar occurrences were identified from outbreaks involving groundwater, with the most common problem being source water contamination with waste water

Source of image: http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/water-pollution.html

----------------- About Author: Nikhilesh Mukherjee worked asGlobal head of R&D water for Hindustan Unilever.Contributed to Unilever's water business from an idea to a very handsome growth from year 2000 to 2010. Known author of more than25papers. These can be viewed at http://patent.ipexl.com/inventor/Mukherjee_Nikhileshwar_1.html

2 Comments

1. French Dans le corps humain il n'existe pas plus de micros organismes pathogènes que mutagènes. C'est également le cas dans la nature, il n'existe que des micros organismes UTILES. Quand un vivant est malade, ces micros organismes vont l'attaquer parce qu'il est faible: la sélection naturelle. Plus le terrain est favorable, plus les micros organismes l'attaquent. On ne trouve donc pas de micros organismes -pathogène- dans les matière fécale. Ces micros organismes proviennent de la flore intestinale du corps humain, nécessaires et surtout obligatoires. Sans eux nous serions morts. On reste encore dans le vieux schéma de faire peur aux gens en définissant que les micros organismes contenus dans les matières fécales deviennent des diableries dès qu'ils sont dans les eaux usées. En réalité ces micros organismes ne changent pas de nature du fait qu'ils sont dans les eaux usées, ils sont toujours les mêmes. Le principe général du traitement actuel des eaux usées transforme les excréments en boue. Les effluents, sous l'action d'une forte méthanisation, putréfient. Le reliquat d'eau en putréfaction, rejeté dans l'environnement, se disperse dans les milieux hydrauliques naturels y compris les nappes phréatiques dans lesquelles les populations puisent leur besoin quotidien d'eau potable. Voilà la vaie cause des pandémies gastriques English In the human body there are no more microphones pathogens mutagens. This is also the case in nature, there are only the bodies USEFUL microphones. When a living is sick, these microphones organizations will attack because it is low natural selection. More land is favorable, the more the micro organisms attack. So we can not find -pathogène- micro organisms in the fecal matter. These micro organisms from the intestinal flora of the human body, necessary and especially mandatory. Without them we would be dead. We still remain in the old scheme to scare people by setting the microphones organisms in feces become devilish as they are in the wastewater. In reality, these micro organisms do not change their nature as they are in the wastewater, they are always the same. The general principle of the existing wastewater treatment transforms excrement into mud. Effluent, under the action of a strong methane, putrefy. The remaining water putrefaction released into the environment, scatters in natural water environments including groundwater under which people get their daily requirement of drinking water. This is the cause of gastric Vaie pandemics

2. thanks for the facts.