Schistosomiasis- (My Water, My health!!)

EYE OPENER

My water, My health!!

Every drop of water can serve as either a body nourishing or a body deteriorating resource. 

WATERBORNE PATHOGENS

There are many disease causing organisms that consumers could be exposed to through ingestion and contact with contaminated drinking water. The more common pathogens that can be found in drinking water are as follows:

Protozoa: Protozoa are microorganisms that can live in animals, people and the environment. Many protozoa have life cycle stages that include cysts and oocysts. The cysts and oocysts are generally resistant to normal residual chlorine levels, but are more readily deactivated by ultraviolet (UV) disinfection. Most protozoa, including cyst and oocyst stages, will be removed by water filtration devices capable of removing 1 micron particles (i.e. microfiltration).

Bacteria: Bacteria are usually killed by normal chlorine residual levels. Most bacteria will be removed by microfiltration ("<"1 micron) and most will be effectively deactivated by ultraviolet (UV) disinfection, although some species may require increased UV doses. Bacterial spores can be resistant to normal chlorine disinfectant levels and some are resistant to UV. Small bacteria and spores may pass through filters at the microfiltration level. Bacteria that can cause waterborne illness include Escherichia coli; and species of Salmonella, Vibrio, Shigella, Camphylobacter, etc.

Viruses: Viruses are rapidly inactivated by normal chlorine residual levels. But their small size, typically less than 0.01 microns, allows viruses to pass through 1 micron filters. In addition, some viruses are resistant to inactivation by exposure to UV light. Hence, ordinary water filtration and UV disinfection may not provide adequate viral treatment and viruses are usually controlled with chemical disinfection. Viruses that can cause waterborne illnesses include: Hepatitis A,Adenoviruses, Hepatitis E, Enteroviruses (including Polio-, Echo and Coxsackie viruses), Rotaviruses, Caliciviruses, etc.

BOILING AND PASTEURIZATION

Boiling water kills or inactivates viruses, bacteria, protozoa and other pathogens by using heat to damage structural components and disrupt essential life processes (e.g. denature proteins). Boiling is not sterilization and is more accurately characterized as pasteurization. Sterilization kills all the organisms present, while pasteurization kills those organisms that can cause harm to humans. Cooking food is also a form of pasteurization. For pasteurization to be effective, water or food must be heated to at least the pasteurization temperature for the organisms of concern and held at that temperature for a prescribed interval.

The effectiveness of pasteurization is directly related to temperature and time. Milk is commonly pasteurized at 149°F/65°C for 30 seconds, or 280°F/138°C for at least two seconds. A study of the effectiveness of pasteurization of milk intentionally contaminated with Cryptosporidium found that five seconds of heating at 161°F/72°C rendered the oocysts non-infectious.

Although, some bacterial spores not typically associated with water borne disease are capable of surviving boiling conditions (e.g. clostridium and bacillus spores), research shows that water borne pathogens are inactivated or killed at temperatures below boiling (212°F or 100°C). In water, pasteurization is reported to begin at temperatures as low as 131°F/55°C for protozoan cysts. Similarly, it is reported that one minute of heating to 162°/72°C and two minutes of heating at 144°/62°C will render Cryptosporidium oocysts non-infectious. Other studies report that water pasteurized at 150°F/65°C for 20 minutes will kill or inactivate those organisms that can cause harm to humans. These include: Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Endameba, the eggs of worms, Vibrio cholera, Shigella, Salmonella bacteria, those that cause typhoid, the enterotoxogenic strains of E. coli, Hepatitis A and rotaviruses. It is also reported that a 99.999% kill of water borne microorganisms can be achieved at 149°F/65°C in five minutes of exposure, which makes boiling or pasteurization a very good activity to carryout on your water.

NGCS ARGUABLE FACT

The erroneous believe that boiling your water during cooking will eradicate all the microorganisms present in it has been the traditional believe of most people especially in this part of the world (Paleotropics (Africa esp.)), but there are lots of microorganisms that can actually survive temperature above boiling point(100⁰c) and are very harmful to human health.

NGCS QUESTIONS FOR THE DAY?

Can you even boil all the water that comes out of your tap?(While washing dishes, while taking your bath, before drinking, etc)

How often do you carry out this aforementioned activity?

How safe are you?

Do you know there are certain microorganisms; when present in your water when taking your bath can lead to a lot of skin diseases, and probably death, a very good and well known example is 'Schistosomiasis'.

Schistosomiasis is also known as Bilharzia. It is a tropical disease caused by a parasitic infection with worms from the Schistosomatidae family that are present in one’s bathing water . The disease can stay in the body system for years and develop in stage from acute to chronic Schistosomiasis without you knowing , you just keep on treating malaria fever or similar symptoms illness. It can cause fever, headache, tiredness, abdominal pain at its acute stage and can lead to palpitation, breathlessness, cough, liver failure, paralysis, blood in the stool and urine.etc. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that about 200 million people are infected with schistosomiasis worldwide.

NGCS SOLUTION

Since you can't boil all the water that comes out of your tap, and microorganisms won't stop growing and multiplying in your water storage tanks and body system eventually. Why don't you just adapt to the bottom to top approach of the Nehemial General Cleaning Service which involves tackling water quality issue using professional approach which involves thorough cleaning and microorganism disinfection using certain chemicals at a strategic point that is reachable to us (YOUR WATER STORAGE TANKS/ CISTERN) and have your whole family safe.

PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM SCHISTOSOMIASIS AROUND THE WORLD