As human beings, we need to use and consume water all the time. We need to drink it to replenish the water content of our bodies and to keep ourselves healthy. We need water to maintain the cleanliness of our surroundings and to attend to our personal hygiene. We also utilize water for recreational purposes.

The problem with using water is that we are never truly sure what is lurking in our water. We are not referring to fictional monsters created by authors like Stephen King or Clive Barker. What we refer to are organisms and substances that can contaminate our water and cause various water-borne diseases.

Examples of Water-Borne Diseases

What water-borne diseases can you get from drinking or using or swimming in contaminated water? Here are a few examples.

1. Amoebiasis. Amoebiasis happens to a person who has ingested water infected by certain species of amoeba. The amoeba can be transmitted through human waste or flies in the drinking water. Symptoms include fever, abdominal cramping and diarrhea.

2. Cholera. Cholera is a water-borne disease that occurs when a person consumes water that contains a bacteria strain called cholera vibirios. If left untreated, cholera can be fatal. The most famous symptom of this disease is exhaustive diarrhea.

3. Gastroenteritis. A person becomes sick with gastroenteritis when he or she drinks water that contains various kinds of bacteria and viruses like salmonella and the norovirus. These organisms can cause the intestinal tract to become inflamed.

How Water Can Become Contaminated

There are many ways by which our drinking water and the water that we use on a day-to-day basis can become contaminated. Flash flooding brought about by storms can bring sewage to the water sources that we use for drinking and cleaning. Human and animal waste can get mixed into clean water because there is a fault in how the plumbing system in a property was designed and laid out. Pesticides from agricultural areas can seep into the ground water. Industrial wastes get dumped into water all the time. Water can also be contaminated on purpose.

When our sources of clean water become contaminated, they must be disinfected at once in order to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases. Disinfection is usually done in coordination with a local government agency. Naturally, you would need to know first if your water is indeed infected and unsafe to use. To determine thus, you would need to get your water tested.

Testing the Water to Prevent Water-Borne Diseases

The best way to get the water in your water source tested is by coordinating thus with the local government. The local government will send a team to evaluate your water and get it tested for organisms that cause water-borne diseases.

If you cannot wait for local government agents to come and assist you, you can prepare yourself by buying a testing kit from a reputable seller. Home water quality testing kits can be effective in determining if your water can cause water-borne diseases.

Posted under Health & Wellness
Tags: bacteria, cholera, contaminated water, drinking water, health, personal hygiene, uti, virus, water borne disease, water borne diseases, water content.