Water Borne Illnesses
Information & Prevention
Animal water borne diseases
- Signa and symptoms
- Fever
- Vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Weakness
- Stiffness
- Causes
- Polluted lakes, rivers, streams
- Dog urine
- Risks
- Non-filtered water
- Dog owners
- Dogs
- Prevention
- Don't consume un-filtered water
- Protective clothing
Protista water borne diseases
- Symptomsand signs
- Abdominal cramps
- Bloating
- Nausea
- Watery diarrhea
-Causes
-Can be transmitted through food and person-to-person contact
-People at risk
- Children are more likely to come in contact with feces, especially if they wear diapers, are toilet training or spend time in a child care center
- People who live or work with small children also are at higher risk of developing giardia infection
- People without access to safe drinking water
-Ways to Prevent Contracting Giardia
- Wash your hands
- Purify wilderness water
- Try not to swallow water when swimming in pools, lakes or streams
- Use bottled water when traveling to parts of the world where the water supply is likely to be unsafe
Cryptosporidiosis
- Symptoms and Signs
- Watery diarrhea
- Abdominal cramps
- Dehydration
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Causes
- Spread from person to person after the parasites are shed into the environment; they may be found in soil, food, water, or on surfaces that have been contaminated with feces from infected humans or animals
- People at Risk
- Children in day-care centers
- Child-care workers
- Parents with infected children
- International travelers, backpackers, hikers and campers who drink unfiltered or untreated water
- Swimmers who swallow water from contaminated sources
- Individuals who handle infected cattle
- Ways to Prevent Contracting Cryptosporidiosis
- Washing your hands often with soap and water
- Avoid touching farm animals
- Avoid touching the stool of pets
- Be careful when swimming in lakes, rivers, or pools, and when using hot tubs
- Wash and/or cook your food
- Drink safe water
- Take extra care when traveling
Bacteria water borne diseases
- Symptoms and Signs
- Bloody diarrhea
- Abdominal cramping, nausea and vomiting may occur
- Fever
- lasts about 1-3 days, unlikely to last more
- Causes
- The bacteria can spread from an infected person to contaminate water or food, or directly to another person.
- Risks
- Children, especially between the ages of 2-4
- Living in housing with lots of people and activities, visiting a place where lots of people participate in an activity
- living or traveling to places that lack sanitation
- Preventions
- wash hands frequently and carefully
- have little to no contact with an ill person that has diarrhea
- avoid swallowing water from ponds, lakes, or untreated pools
E-coli (Escherichia coli)
- Symptoms and signs
- Diarrhea, which can range from watery to bloody
- Stomach pain, cramping or tenderness
- Nausea and vomiting may occur
- Usually lasts 5-10 days
- Causes
- contaminated water in lakes, rivers, streams
- feces in contaminated swimming pools
- Risks
- Young children and older adults
- June-September
- Low stomach acid levels
- Preventions
- Thoroughly wash your hands
- Drink purified water
Where information was found
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/shigella/basics/causes/con-20028418
http://www.foodsafety.gov/poisoning/causes/bacteriaviruses/shigella/
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/e-coli/basics/symptoms/con-20032105
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/ecoli/ecoli.html
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/norovirus/basics/symptoms/con-20029968