Diarrhea incidence | Impacts of arsenic in water | Fecal Contamination and Diarrheal Pathogens
Dan Campbell
Diarrhea incidence in low- and middle-income countries in 1990 and 2010: a systematic review
MAY 30, 2012 · 0 COMMENTS
BMC Public Health 2012, 12:220
Diarrhea incidence in low- and middle-income countries in 1990 and 2010: a systematic review
Christa L Fischer Walker, et al.
Background – Diarrhea is recognized as a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children under 5 years of age in low- and middle-income countries yet updated estimates of diarrhea incidence by age for these countries are greatly needed. We conducted a systematic literature review to identify cohort studies that sought to quantify diarrhea incidence among any age group of children 0-59 mo of age.
Methods – We used the Expectation-Maximization algorithm as a part of a two-stage regression model to handle diverse age data and overall incidence rate variation by study to generate country specific incidence rates for low- and middle-income countries for 1990 and 2010. We then calculated regional incidence rates and uncertainty ranges using the bootstrap method, and estimated the total number of episodes for children 0-59 mo of age in 1990 and 2010.
Results – We estimate that incidence has declined from 3.4 episodes/child year in 1990 to 2.9 episodes/child year in 2010. As was the case previously, incidence rates are highest among infants 6-11 mo of age; 4.5 episodes/child year in 2010. Among these 139 countries there were nearly 1.9 billion episodes of childhood diarrhea in 1990 and nearly 1.7 billion episodes in 2010.
Conclusions – Although our results indicate that diarrhea incidence rates may be declining slightly, the total burden on the health of each child due to multiple episodes per year is tremendous and additional funds are needed to improve both prevention and treatment practices in low- and middle-income countries.
An Assessment of Relationship Between Arsenic in Drinking Water, Health Status and Intellectual Functioning of Children
MAY 30, 2012 · 0 COMMENTS
Pakistan Journal of Nutrition 11 (2): 150-153, 2012
An Assessment of Relationship Between Arsenic in Drinking Water, Health Status and Intellectual Functioning of Children in District Kasur
Saqlain Abbas, et al.
In this study determination of arsenic (As) contamination in the drinking water and urine of children along with its effect on their health status and intellectual functioning was assessed. The study was carried out in order to determine any correlation between intake of arsenic and intellectual functioning level of the children. Raven Standard Progressive Matrices (RPM) was administered on children of (8-15) years of age to assess their intellectual functioning and their health status was checked by measuring their height and weight. Water and urine sample were studied in both experimental and control group. In experimental area the arsenic level was above the World Health Organization (WHO) permissible value which was compared with the control area having arsenic level below WHO permissible value in both water and urine. An average 45% of arsenic level in drinking water samples was above WHO permissible value (10 µg/L).
Considering urinary arsenic as a biomarker of exposure to arsenic through drinking water, it was found that an average of 50% of children of the experimental group were found to have arsenic in their urine ranging from a concentration of 0.01-0.0119 µg/L. Conclusively, this study showed that the intellectual functioning level of children drinking arsenic contaminated water was significantly lower as compared to those, drinking arsenic-free water.
Water 2012, 4(1), 123-134; doi:10.3390/w4010123
Improving Water Supply Systems for Domestic Uses in Urban Togo: The Case of a Suburb in Lomé
Laurent Ahiablame, et al.
The rapid urbanization facing developing countries is increasing pressure on public institutions to provide adequate supplies of clean water to populations. In most developing countries, the general public is not involved in strategies and policies regarding enhancement, conservation, and management of water supply systems. To assist governments and decision makers in providing potable water to meet the increasing demand due to the rapid urbanization, this study sought to characterize existing water supply systems and obtain public opinion for identifying a community water supply system model for households in a residential neighborhood in Lomé, Togo.
Existing water supply systems in the study area consist of bucket-drawn water wells, mini water tower systems, rainwater harvesting, and public piped water. Daily domestic water consumption in the study area compared well with findings on water uses per capita from Sub-Saharan Africa, but was well below daily water usage in developed nations. Based on the surveys, participants thought highly of a large scale community water tower and expressed interest in maintaining it. Even though people rely on water sources deemed convenient for drinking, they also reported limited confidence in the quality of these sources.
Fecal Contamination and Diarrheal Pathogens on Surfaces and in Soils among Tanzanian Households
MAY 30, 2012 · 0 COMMENTS
Environ. Sci. Technol., Apr 30, 2012
Fecal Contamination and Diarrheal Pathogens on Surfaces and in Soils among Tanzanian Households with and without Improved Sanitation
Amy J. Pickering, et al.
Little is known about the extent or pattern of environmental fecal contamination among households using low-cost, on-site sanitation facilities, or what role environmental contamination plays in the transmission of diarrheal disease. A microbial survey of fecal contamination and selected diarrheal pathogens in soil (n = 200), surface (n = 120), and produce samples (n = 24) was conducted in peri-urban Bagamoyo, Tanzania, among 20 households using private pit latrines. All samples were analyzed for E. coli and enterococci. A subset was analyzed for enterovirus, rotavirus, norovirus GI, norovirus GII, diarrheagenic E. coli, and general and human-specific Bacteroidales fecal markers using molecular methods.
Soil collected from the house floor had significantly higher concentrations of E. coli and enterococci than soil collected from the latrine floor. There was no significant difference in fecal indicator bacteria levels between households using pit latrines with a concrete slab (improved sanitation) versus those without a slab. These findings imply that the presence of a concrete slab does not affect the level of fecal contamination in the household environment in this setting. Human Bacteroidales, pathogenic E. coli, enterovirus, and rotavirus genes were detected in soil samples, suggesting that soil should be given more attention as a transmission pathway of diarrheal illness in low-income countries.