What are ‘waterborne diseases’?
Health Desk
The victims are not only forced to live in floods, but they are also forced to drink contaminated water and prepare food from it.
About one-third of Pakistan is currently under water due to heavy rains, where people are forced to live with polluted water.
The victims of 55 flood-affected districts in Sindh and Balochistan are not only forced to live with flood water, but they are also forced to use contaminated water for drinking and preparing food.
In most of the flood-affected areas, safe disposal facilities are not available to the victims and the sewage water contains not only human waste but also the remains of dead animals, due to which various diseases are likely to break out across the country.
Water-borne diseases can have very dangerous consequences if the affected people are not given timely medical attention.
Another major disadvantage of such diseases is that they quickly spread to other people and affect a large population in no time.
Waterborne diseases are often identified as diseases caused by bacteria or viruses that are spread through contaminated water.
For the past two decades, governments and international medical institutions have launched multi-billion rupee projects to control water-borne diseases, but still the institutions and governments are unable to prevent water-borne diseases.
We are listing below some of the diseases that are spread by contaminated water.
cholera
Cholera, also known as gastroenteritis, is one of the most dangerous diseases in the monsoon season. Cholera is caused by some dangerous bacteria (microorganisms) that spread due to bad food, dirty water and lack of hygiene. Symptoms include loose stools and vomiting, which causes excessive fluid loss and muscle cramps.
A cholera patient needs immediate treatment because the lack of salts in the human body can also cause death.
Diarrhea
This disease is also spread through contaminated water including water in ponds and swimming pools. This disease affects some of the pathways that supply food to the human body, causing stomach ache along with nausea. There is a significant reduction in weight, the patient becomes emaciated due to the evaporation of the human body.
dysentery
This disease is also caused by consuming and living in polluted water, in which the patient complains of stomach pain along with dysentery. A person suffering from this disease also feels fever, muscle spasms and itchy and burning skin.
It is quite possible for a person to contract diarrhoea, cholera and dysentery at the same time from contaminated water or for two of the three diseases to attack the patient at the same time.
Typhoid/fever
Typhoid is caused by the bacteria ‘Salmonella’ found in contaminated water. This disease is caused by consuming contaminated food or water contaminated by the waste of an infected person. Its symptoms include high fever for a few days, severe abdominal pain, headache and vomiting. The most dangerous thing about this disease is that its germ remains in the leaf even after treatment. The diagnosis of this disease is done by taking a blood sample and testing it. Its preventive measures include drinking clean water, using good antibacterial soaps and managing good drainage. Different antibiotics are used for this.
Hepatitis A (jaundice)
Hepatitis A is one of the dangerous infectious diseases that cause infection in the liver. Consumption of contaminated water and food is the main cause of this disease because they contain the hepatitis A virus. Flies that sit on fruits and vegetables also play an important role in spreading this disease. Symptoms of this disease indicate inflammation of the liver, including yellowing of the eyes, skin, and urine (also known as jaundice or jaundice), stomach pain, loss of appetite, nausea, fever, and loose stools. are included. Blood tests are done to diagnose it.
Dengue/fever
Dengue fever is caused by a virus and the ‘Aedes aegypti’ mosquito plays an important role in spreading this virus. The identity of this mosquito is that it has white and black lines on its body and it is usually bigger than other mosquitoes. This mosquito bites in the morning and evening. Dengue fever is also called “spinal fever” because its symptoms include severe joint and muscle pain, pain behind the eyes, headache, fever, and red welts on the body.
Malaria/fever
Malaria is one of the diseases caused by the female mosquito ‘Anopheles’ which is born in dirty water. During the monsoon season, due to waterlogging, the production of this mosquito increases and along with this, the risk of malaria epidemic also increases.
Influenza (flu)
Epidemic influenza is a common disease that spreads during cold weather and flood conditions apart from the monsoon season. This cold is caused by “influenza” and since this virus exists in the open air, it is easily transmitted from one person to another. The influenza virus enters the human body through the air and infects the nose, throat and lungs. Symptoms of this disease include runny nose, severe body and throat pain and fever.
