Water quality issues and diarrhea in a South American province

V. B. RAJAL; M. C. CRUZ; J. A. LAST

GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH

Taylor & Francis

Año: 2010 vol. 5 p. 348 - 363

1744-1692

In the province of Salta, in the Northwest region of Argentina, almost two-thirds of thepopulation live in absolute poverty, and diseases associated with poverty are rampant.Almost 12% of the total population of the province are children below five years of age;almost half of these infants are living in situations where the basic necessities are notavailable. Primitive sanitary conditions, including widespread contamination of availablewater supplies with pathogens, contribute to a major public health problem. Infantmortality was 17% higher for Salta than for Argentina as a whole in 2001. A major causeof death for these children is infectious disease, especially respiratory and intestinaldiseases. In Salta, more than half of the total population of infants is affected bydiarrhoea annually. The infectious pathogens are diverse: bacteria (predominantly inspring and summer), viruses (especially in the winter) and parasites (endemic in somesituations). This paper evaluates current methods used to test for the presence ofpathogens in drinking water; discusses why these methods are less than adequate;documents an episode of contamination in a local water supply source; and suggestsappropriate methods that can be used to better address this major public health issueeffectively.