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Waterborne Illnesses
Waterborne Illnesses
• Has anyone ever been
•
restricted from
drinking tap water?
Traveling? At home?
Is waterborne illness
a big problem in
Canada?
Is waterborne illness a big problem
in Canada?
• May 2000
• Walkerton, Ontario
• 7 people die & more
•
than 2,000 fall ill
E.coli had
contaminated the
water system
– From farm runoff
Waterborne Illnesses
• Contamination of water
•
•
supplies & ground
water often causes a
boil order to be issued
for surrounding areas
Since 2000 Halifax has
begun to test for lead
in the drinking water
on a regular basis
The plumbing in some
older homes consists of
lead pipes
Is Waterborne illness a big problem
in other countries in the world?
• 25,000 people die
everyday around
the world because
of water related
diseases &
illnesses
Why is waterborne illness less of a
problem in Canada?
• Access to clean groundwater
• Infrastructure & treatment facilities to
purify water
• Government regulations on water quality
• Access to bottled water, if necessary
Where does our water come from?
• Halifax Regional Water Commission:
– Pockwock Lake, west of Halifax, is the source
of supply for Halifax, Bedford, Sackville and
surrounding areas.
– Lake Major, near Cherry Brook, is the soure of
supply for Dartmouth, Cole Harbour, Eastern
Passage and surrounding areas
• Wells
– Use groundwater from dug or drilled wells.
– Approx. 46% of Nova Scotians rely on wells
Where does water come from in
LDC Countries?
• Rivers and lakes
• Rain water
• Bore holes and
pumps
• wells
How could water related diseases
be prevented in LDC countries?
• Boiling
• Filtering
• Chemicals (chlorine or iodine tablets)
• Fencing off water source to prevent animal
contamination
• Water source farther from human settlement
(to prevent human contamination)
• Shipment in of bottled water (from
organizations like the Red Cross & UNICEF)
“Safe Water for All:
A story of sustainable community development”
• Watch film
• Use information from
•
film to complete
accompanying activity
Note: How has access
to clean water helped
the village become
more sustainable?
Waterborne Illness Definitions
• Amoebic Dysentery/ Dysentery:
– An inflammatory disorder of the lower
intestinal tract
– Usually caused by a bacterial, parasitic, or
protozoan infection
– Resulting in pain, fever & severe diarrhea,
often accompanied by the passage of blood &
mucus
Waterborne Illness Definitions
• Guinea Worm:
– A painful & debilitating infestation
– Contracted by drinking stagnant water
contaminated with guinea worm larvae
– Larvae mature inside the human body and
burst out through a painful blister
– Blisters often contract secondary infection
Waterborne Illness Definitions
• Cholera:
– An infection of the small intestine
– Caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae
– Causes severe diarrhea, abdominal cramps,
nausea & often dehydration
Waterborne Illness Definitions
• Tetanus:
– Caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani
– Produces painful, rigid muscle contractions,
especially in the neck & jaw
– Immunization can prevent the disease
Waterborne Illness Definitions
• Schistosomiasis/ Bilharzia:
– Tropical disease spread by pararsitic
trematode worms (blood flukes) living in fresh
water
– Worms can live in a person & lay thousands of
eggs over several years
– Causes a rash/itchy skin, fever, chills, muscle
aches, & possible damage to the liver,
intestines, lungs & bladder
Waterborne Illness Definitions
• Malaria:
– An infectious disease characterized by cycles
of chills, fever, & sweating
– Caused by the parasitic infection of red blood
cells by a protozoan
– Transmitted by the bite of an infected
mosquito
Waterborne Illness Case Studies
Works Cited
• Dana, Douglas, and Debby Golonka. "Lead Poisoning."
HealthLink BC Home Page. Healthwise Inc., 29 Aug.
2008. Web.
<http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/kbase/topic/major/hw1
19898/descrip.htm>. 03 Dec. 2009.
• Saccossio, Sabrina. "CBC News In Depth: Tap water."
CBC.ca - Canadian News Sports Entertainment Kids
Docs Radio TV. Canadian Boardcasting Corporation, 11
June 2007. Web.
<http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/water/leadpipes.html>. 04 Dec. 2009.