Waterborne Diseases
In the global development policy discussion, waterborne diseases or water-related diseases are understood to be water- borne diseases . Most of these diseases are caused by enterobacteria or viruses that are passed on from person to person via the faeces - especially due to inadequately treated sewage . Another part of these diseases is caused by freshwater parasites in humans . Diseases caused by marine parasites in humans are not included under this term, which is a (not entirely exact) translation of the English expression "water-borne diseases".
The pathogens spread particularly when there is a high population density and a lack of or inadequate sanitary facilities. According to estimates by the UN , up to 5 million people die each year from diseases caused by these pathogens (or from infestation by freshwater parasites). In sub-Saharan Africa alone, water-related diseases, through lost work and rising health care spending, are costing US $ 28 billion annually, or 5 percent of their economic strength (more than those countries received in 2003 in development aid and debt relief).
The supply of the world population with hygienically (but also toxicologically) safe water and access to suitable sanitary systems, e.g. B. Ecosan -based, represents one of the greatest challenges of mankind in the next decades and is therefore part of the so-called millennium goals of mankind as overcoming the water crisis .
In particular, the diseases listed in the table are related to contaminated water :
| illness | Pathogens |
|---|---|
| Giardiasis | |
| Cryptosporidiosis (diarrhea) | |
| Amoebic dysentery | Entamoeba histolytica |
| Bacterial agitation | Shigella |
| cholera | Vibrio cholerae |
| Campylobacter enteritis | Campylobacter |
| diarrhea | mostly enterobacteria |
| Typhoid , paratyphoid | Salmonella |
| gastroenteritis | Rota- , adenoviruses , human noroviruses , enterobacteria |
| Hepatitis A and E | Viruses |
| Enterovirus infection | Coxsackie Virus and Other Enteroviruses |
For diseases that are transmitted by parasites that rely on fresh water , cf. in addition, freshwater parasites in humans .
Web links
- Enteroviruses: Risk of infection even when swimming ( Memento from June 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive )