As mentioned in the previous post ill health and diseases
associated with inadequate water supply and sanitation facilities is a
momentous concern in Africa and in the rest of the developing world. These
illnesses and diseases include that of diarrhoea, which is a fundamental
environmental health issue. Drawing from Tumwine et al (2002) I will be exploring the links concerning the
prevalence of diarrhoea and the nature of water supplies and sanitation
facilities in three countries in East Africa; Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
(Tumwine et al 2002)
The Graph above displays the household prevalence of
diarrhoea by type of water source and as illustrated, the water source resulting
in the least prevalence is that of a vendor or kiosk. The water source with the
highest prevalence is that of reservoirs or ponds meaning that households that
rely on surface water as their primary source of water are more likely to
suffer from diarrhoea and it is reported that in these circumstances, there was
at least one case of diarrhoea in the preceding week after the survey was
collected.
The form of water source isn’t the only factor that can
affect the prevalence of illnesses such as diarrhoea as the type of sanitation
facility is also related with diarrhoea morbidity. The results from this study
indicate that un-piped households with no sanitation had a prevalence rate of
66%, whereas those with an access to a pit or a ventilated improved privy (VIP)
latrine had a much lower prevalence rate of about 20%.
Therefore this study exemplifies the importance of the type
of water source and the available sanitation facilities in the area, on the prevalence
of diarrhoea. Using surface water seems to be the biggest determining factor in
causing the illness and this has also been found in other studies such as Manun’ebo
et al (1994) whose findings were
consistent with those from Tumwine et al (2002).
