Water is life. As we all know, two-thirds of our body is made up of water. We need to drink water to keep ourselves hydrated and away from a lot of physical ailments. But what if the drinking water causes some disease? It is essential to be sure that we are drinking clean and pure water. If not, a body can be hit by waterborne diseases. Some of the diseases with their causes, symptoms and cure are listed below.
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever is caused because of Salmonella Typhi named bacteria. The bacteria are found in water, eggs and chicken. Typhoid fever can be life-threatening. It is the most common type of bacteria found. The bacteria affects the bloodstream and the intestinal tracks. Typhoid fever can be caused by consuming food and water infected by the bacteria.
Some of the symptoms of typhoid fever are a very high fever (104F) headache, weakness, loss of appetite, stomach ache, and some people may experience a body rash. To diagnose a typhoid fever blood and stool tests are conducted.
Prevention measures are fairly simple, keep your hands clean before eating food, and don’t drink untreated water. Consumption of raw fruits and vegetables is not advisable. All the information on how to stay healthy while traveling you can find on websites like CDC and TravelHealthConnect.
You should keep your body and hands washed and clean before eating food. The patient needs to drink very clean water, which has been treated well and germs removed. Consumption of raw fruits and vegetables is advisable. Taking medicines according to the doctor’s prescription is a must.
Cholera
This is a disease which is caused because of the bacteria Vibrio Cholerae. It is the most common waterborne disease which causes acute diarrhoea. The main cause of getting cholera is drinking dirty germs-borne water. The polluted water causes cholera. Person to person transmission is rare.
Cholera hits the GI tract and leads to acute diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea and dehydration. Drinking filtered clean water, washing your hands before and after eating food, cooking food in clean water, wearing thoroughly wash clothes are the precautions to be taken to fight cholera.
Hepatitis A
Caused by the Virus HAV, Hepatitis A is a liver-related disease. The disease gets transmitted in places which have poor and unhygienic sanitation conditions. If hygiene factors are not taken care of Hepatitis A can outspread drastically from person to person. A person infected with hepatitis A can affect the other peoples living close to them.
Hepatitis A is mainly caused because of dirty sanitation conditions, where water is also dirty. Water can infect the body in various ways
Jaundice, yellowness in the skin, eyes, passing very dark yellow urine, fatigue and weakness, loss of appetite, high fever, stomach pain, and nausea are the common symptoms of Hepatitis A.
The family members of a person infected with Hepatitis A should maintain a distance from the patient. It is essential to follow good hygiene practices while washing hands. Water should be pure and safe while drinking and cooking.
Hepatitis E
Drinking contaminated water causes hepatitis B virus to circulate faster and cause the disease it is prone in places where human waste is allowed to be disposed of in rivers and ponds this water if not purified and used for consumption leads to Hepatitis E. Regular intake of dirty water missing out hygiene conditions causes Hepatitis E.
The most common symptoms of hepatitis B are passing dark urine and pale stools, jaundice, yellowing of the skin and eyes, loss of appetite, tender liver. At times the liver is affected so bad because of Hepatitis E that it damages the liver cells causing death.
Avoiding the consumption of contaminated water, avoiding street food cooked in unhealthy oil and using dirty water, avoid eating undercooked meat, washing hands with soap and water after using the toilet and having food are the precautions to be taken to fight Hepatitis E.
Traveller’s Diarrhoea
Traveller’s diarrhoea is one of the most common waterborne diseases which generally affects travellers. It is also known as Montezuma’s revenge and Aztec two-step. Travelling from one country to another, and the change of water affects the travellers immensely. Mostly Asian countries have a high rate of travellers getting this disease. Consumption of dirty water and food causes indigestion resulting in Traveler’s Diarrhoea. Bacterial enteropathogens cause it.
People affected by Traveler’s Diarrhoea can start getting watery loose motions, abdominal cramping, bloating, fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, and malaise. Avoiding dirty water and food is the only precaution you need to take. If the problem persists proper medicines and treatments according to the advice of a medical practitioner is a must — a combination of antibiotics and antimotility need to be taken.
Dysentery
When a patient starts passing infectious blood in bowels, it is said to be Dysentery. People living in developing areas where sanitation conditions are not good are prone to Dysentery. This happens because the digestive system is affected because of the consumption of dirty water. The bacteria causing Dysentery thrives in the food and water polluted by human faeces. Amoebic Dysentery is transmitted by polluted water.
The symptoms of Dysentery are bloody diarrhoea, very high fever, extreme stomach pain, rapid weight loss. Dysentery causes diminutive stools with mucus and blood mixed, giving heavy cramps to the patient. Using germ-free clean water is the first precaution to be taken to avoid Dysentery. Keeping your hands clean before and after using the toilet as well as having food is a must. Avoid shaking hands with people who are suffering from Dysentery.
Clean and pure drinking water is the key to keep the human body healthy. It keeps the body hydrated and fights many diseases. Clean water also helps to increase the immune system of the body. Consumption of contaminated and dirty water leads to life-threatening diseases which will leave a patient very sick, tired and fatigued. Taking care of hygiene, good sanitary conditions purifying processes of drinking water helps to fight waterborne diseases and stay healthy.
But the waterborne disease can be avoided easily if you have access to pure and healthy drinking water. There are various kinds of water purification system in the market which produce pure and healthy drinking water. RO Care India is one of the best-known water purifier service provider in India. Thus install a water purifier and drink safe and healthy drinking water.
A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.