Prevention of water borne diseases

Preventing waterborne diseases in an unclean environment can be quite a challenging and arduous task. Almost all waterborne diseases are caused by pathogens and micro-organisms that are usually seen in human or animal waste. These microorganisms find their way into the human body via contaminated food and water.

Hence the most logical step in preventing waterborne diseases is to ensure that food and drinking water is kept safe and uncontaminated. In some cases waterborne diseases are spread through cooking, dirty clothes or unclean hands, and hence care must be taken to ensure that good hygiene is practiced at all times. Most waterborne diseases are infections and hence high standards of personal as well as local hygiene including sanitation must be practiced in order to stop the disease from spreading.

Some steps to ensure the prevention of waterborne diseases include:

Practicing good hygiene and ensuring that all the members of the family follow the same hygienic behavior.

Washing hands regularly, especially before and after meals and also before and after using the washroom; this is a critical component of personal hygiene in preventing waterborne diseases.

Keep finger nails short and clean at all times; it is preferable to cut them short once every four days.

Only water that has been thoroughly filtered must be drunk. Ensure that potable water is maintained in a hygienic place during storage. The storage containers of drinking water must be thoroughly washed every day. Do not add clean and fresh water to stale or unwashed containers as there is a grave risk of water contamination, while doing so.

In the absence of a water purification system, drinking water must be thoroughly boiled and cooled in a hygienic container.

Only consume food that has been freshly cooked. Do not approach eating diners or restaurants that appear shabby or have unclean kitchens, as the risk of food poisoning as well as contracting water borne diseases runs high in such places.

On a macro level it can help to ensure that the pipes and taps supplying water to your home are properly maintained. Bring to the notice of your local supervisor of maintenance agency in the event of rusty pumps or unclean water wells.

Sanitation facilities must be properly maintained while care must be taken to ensure that use of water supply does not clash with the sanitation systems.

It is important to maintain a high level of hygiene and cleanliness in the home surrounding as well as outside, in order to prevent breeding and festering of harmful microorganisms.

Since food is a significant breeding ground for bacteria and pathogens, raw food materials such as fresh produce must be washed and cleaned thoroughly before cooking.