The document focuses on household water treatment methods to ensure access to safe drinking water...>, particularly in areas with limited access to clean water sources. It highlights the importance of safe water, noting that contaminated water is a major cause of waterborne diseases such as diarrhea and cholera. Treating water at the household level is emphasized as an effective way to reduce health risks.
The document outlines several treatment methods, including boiling, which kills most pathogens; chlorination, which disinfects water by adding chlorine; filtration, which removes dirt and certain microbes using simple or advanced filters; and solar disinfection (SODIS), which involves exposing water in clear plastic bottles to sunlight for several hours to kill microbes. Additionally, it stresses the importance of safe water storage, such as using clean and covered containers to prevent recontamination, and practicing good hygiene, including regular handwashing and maintaining cleanliness around water sources.
By promoting these methods, the document aims to raise awareness and provide practical solutions for improving water quality at the household level, thereby reducing the spread of diseases and enhancing public health.
more
This guide is intended for people involved in the management and operation of small- to mediumsized organized water supply systems. The content has been developed with particular consideration for operational-level personnel with responsibility for ...chlorination (for example, water treatment plant operators and technicians). The material presented within this guide may also be relevant for engineers and representatives from public health, local government, non-governmental organizations, as well as any other individuals supporting water safety planning activities for the supply of safe drinking-water.
Part 1. Chlorination principles: Describes key chlorination concepts, providing a knowledge foundation for the implementation of effective chlorination practices.
Part 2. Chlorination practices: Describes the practical application of the concepts presented in Part 1, including calculations and procedures for safe and effective chlorination of drinking-water supplies.
more
PlosOne May 7, 2012 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0036735 ; Safe drinking water is critical for health. Household water ...te-to-highlight medbox">treatment (HWT) has been recommended for improving access to potable water where existing sources are unsafe. Reports of low adherence to HWT may limit the usefulness of this approach, however.
more
Disinfection of drinking-water supplies has been one of the most significant public health advancements of the last century with respect to reducing waterborne disease.
Although chlorine has be...en used as the disinfectant of choice for public drinking-water supplies for the past century, a number of emerging or alternative compounds are used or are being considered for the disinfection of drinking-water.
This series reviews the state of the knowledge on the application, efficacy and toxicity of bromine, iodine and silver as drinking-water disinfectants.
more
Guidance has been updated on a number of chemicals: asbestos, bentazone, chromium, iodine, manganese, microcystins, nickel, silver, tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene. Guidance has also been added for chemicals not previously assessed in the Guidelines: anatoxin-a and analogues, cylindrospermopsi...ns and saxitoxins. The new guidance on organotins has replaced the prior guidance focused on dialkyltins. With these updates, the guideline values for tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene have been revised while new guideline values for cylindrospermopsins, manganese, microcystins, and saxitoxins have been established .
Updated information on cyanobacteria has been included, introducing an alert level framework for early-warning and to guide short-term management responses. Guidance has also been updated in the sections on adequacy of water supply, climate change, emergencies, food production and processing, and radiological aspects, particularly on managing radionuclides when exceeding WHO screening values and guidance levels.
more
Cholera is a diarrhoeal disease that is usually contracted when drinking water contaminated with Vibrio cholerae bacteria. The fight against this disease requires a multidisciplinary approach that c...ombines a water, hygiene and sanitation (WaSH) response with a monitoring system, improved water supply and quality, sanitation and hygiene, and a health response with the treatment of the disease itself.
more
Dracunculiasis, also known as Guinea-worm disease is a parasitic disease caused by the nematode Dracunculus medinensis. The infection is transmitted to humans by drinking water contaminated with the... small crustacean copepods (Cyclops) which contain the larvae of D. medinensis. Humans are the principal definitive host and Cyclops being the intermediate host. The disease is endemic to the rural and poorer areas of the world and is most common in African countries like Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Mali. Efforts are underway towards global eradication of this disease. Due to its rarity in developed countries, this activity describes the interprofessional team's role in the assessment and treatment of patients with this condition.
more
The document titled "Prevención y control del cólera" (Cholera Prevention and Control) provides essential guidance on preventing and managing cholera, a disease characterized by severe watery diarrhea and vomiting. Without prompt treatment, choler...a can lead to death due to dehydration within hours. The disease is primarily transmitted through the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person.
To protect against cholera and other diarrheal diseases, the document emphasizes the importance of drinking safe water, such as bottled water with intact seals, boiled water, or water treated with chlorine products. Frequent handwashing with safe water and soap is recommended, and in the absence of soap, hands can be cleaned using ash or sand followed by rinsing with safe water. Proper sanitation practices, such as using latrines or burying feces and avoiding defecation near water sources, are crucial. The document also highlights safe food practices, including thoroughly cooking food (especially seafood), consuming it while hot, keeping it covered, and peeling fruits and vegetables. Ensuring the safe cleaning of kitchens and areas where the family bathes or washes clothes is also advised.
In case of diarrheal illness, the document stresses the immediate use of oral rehydration solution (ORS) to prevent dehydration and the importance of seeking medical attention as quickly as possible. Patients should continue ORS intake both at home and during transit to a health facility. These preventative measures and prompt treatment strategies are vital for reducing cholera transmission and mortality.
more
The five hepatitis viruses have different epidemiological profiles, and their impact, duration, and transmission route also vary. The most common transmission routes contributing to the spread of hepatitis are exposure to infected blood via blood transfusion or unsafe injection practices, consumptio...n of contaminated food and drinking water, and transmission from mother to child during pregnancy and delivery. Also, unsafe injection practices, including the use of unsterile needles and syringes, serve as a major pathway for the spread of hepatitis B and C, and reducing transmission of both diseases requires addressing these practices.
more
This rapid review report has identified the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) options used in emergency settings, with decentralised wastewater treatment systems (DEWATS) and mobile wastewater ... class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">treatment units performing most effectively and with minimal costs. Examples are taken from refugee camps and internally displaced people (IDP) settlements due to the Iraq war, the Israeli-Palestine conflict, and the civil wars in Syria and Sudan. WWTP options used in Finland, Haiti, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Sudan and Turkey are discussed. Lessons learned from China and suggestions for the Rohingya crisis are also included.
more
This technical brief presents the current options for safe storage and point of use water treatment. It is intended to help field staff working in a variety of locations to decide upon the most appr...opriate course of action for providing safe water for the communities in which they work. The effectiveness of household water treatment options now and in the future rely to a huge extent on user compliance; it is critical that users are involved in the decision making process, and are aware of the purpose, how to use, maintain and manage their household water options. The brief therefore details relevant hygiene promotion steps for the different treatment options.
more
Technical Note: Cholera treatment facilities provide inpatient care for cholera patients during outbreaks. Proper case management and isolation of cholera patients is essential to prevent deaths and help control the spread of
the disease. Traditio...nally, these structures have been referred to as cholera treatment centres (CTCs) and
cholera treatment units (CTUs). CTCs are usually large structures set up at central level (e.g. urban areas),
while CTUs are smaller structures set up in the periphery (e.g. peri-urban or rural areas). CTCs/CTUs can
be set up as independent structures in tents or within existing buildings or wards of health structures.
Whatever the structure, the principles described in this document should be respected
more
A field manual for Red Cross/Red Crescent personnel and volunteers
Drinking-water quality regulations and standards developed or revised in accordance with this guidance will reflect the best practices identified in the WHO Guidelines for ...highlight medbox">Drinking-water Quality to most effectively protect public health. Moreover, the regulations and standards will consider local needs, priorities and capacities to ensure that they are realistic and appropriate. Topics covered include:
- Guiding principles
- Getting started
- Selecting parameters and parameter limits
- Setting out compliance monitoring requirements
more
This field guide is a practical tool for improving and maintaining drinking-water safety. It is designed to be used by YOU as a rural community member who shares responsibility for operation and man...agement of the drinking-water supply in your community. It can also be used by YOU as a staff member of the local health or water supply office, local government authority, nongovernmental organization (NGO) or other community-based organization that supports drinking-water safety in rural communities. Ensuring the safety of the community water supply is a daily job, and community members and other stakeholders have to work jointly to achieve this goal.
more