China
Africa
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The Challenge of Parasite Control
Published in Eric S. Loker, Bruce V. Hofkin, Parasitology, 2023
Eric S. Loker, Bruce V. Hofkin
In more developed parts of the world, strategies used to reduce contact between parasites and their human hosts have essentially eliminated many parasitic diseases. Mosquito control, for instance, has lifted the scourge of malaria in Europe and North America. Adequate sanitation in tandem with clean food and water supplies has made food and waterborne disease uncommon. Yet in less developed regions, poor infrastructure, a lack of will on the part of governments and extreme poverty often collude to make even basic sanitation nothing more than a distant dream (Figure 9.1). Additionally, although certain diseases such as malaria attract considerable attention and research funding, many parasitic diseases tend to receive relatively low priority in the public health community. Many of these diseases, often collectively called neglected tropical diseases (Table 9.1), are at least in theory preventable, if only the underlying socioeconomic factors could be appropriately addressed.
Water Quality and the Impact on Human Health and the Environment: The Current International and EU Regulatory Framework
Published in Stefania Negri, Environmental Health in International and EU Law, 2019
In particular, the microbiological quality of water is essential to preventing infectious and parasitic diseases, such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis, giardiasis, guinea worm, and schistosomiasis. Hence, adequate water management and sanitation policies play a significant role in preventing waterborne diseases (WBDs).
Health impact of disasters on older people
Published in Emily Ying Yang Chan, Disaster Public Health and Older People, 2019
Food-borne disease may be caused by ingestion of foodstuffs contaminated with microorganisms (e.g. Salmonella) or chemicals (e.g. pesticides), and is mostly associated with gastrointestinal symptoms (e.g. diarrhoea) (WHO, n.d.c). Similarly, water-borne disease is caused by ingestion of water contaminated by pathogens, or through other faecal–oral routes (Smith et al., 2014, p. 726), e.g. cholera. Environmental effects of climate change may affect the survival level of pathogens and chemicals in food and water, e.g. warm weather encourages growth of Salmonella in food and planktonic organisms in water; heavy rainfall may lead to contamination of the drinking water system (Vardoulakis & Heaviside, 2012, September). Water and sewage systems will need to be robust to prevent these incidents. Relevant and appropriate surveillance and response systems will also need to be in place.
A Cross-Sectional Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Toward Leptospirosis among Rural and Urban Population of a South Indian District
Published in Ocular Immunology and Inflammation, 2021
Sivakumar Rathinam, Rajesh Vedhanayaki, Kandasamy Balagiri
Two focus group discussions were conducted on volunteers from Madurai. The primary version of the questionnaire was developed on results of focal group discussion and through literature review. These participants were aware of seasonal fever in rainy season but they were not aware of any specific cause. Hence the questions addressed initially the awareness of waterborne disease and risk factors. Later the term leptospirosis was introduced. This improved questionnaire was piloted on a sample of 100 outpatients who attended for glass prescription to assess its legibility and comprehensibility. The questions that were consistently misunderstood were corrected. Corrected questionnaire was pretested again in a second sample of 100 patients to assess for the clarity, reliability, and validity. Internal consistency was assessed by using Cronbach’s alpha (α = 0.7) and was found to be in acceptable ranges. Face content and convergent validity of the questionnaire was performed by experts in the discipline of Social science and biostatistics. The final questionnaire included 43 questions in four sections. 12 questions focused on demographic data and general information. Further, it had 13 questions to assess the knowledge and 5 questions to explore attitude. 13 questions addressed practices on activities that could pose a risk for leptospirosis infection. The questions which were not relevant to urban population were used only in rural population. (Example: Will you use slippers while walking in the paddy field?)
Facts and ideas from anywhere
Published in Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, 2019
In 1850, the US had 40,755 people calling themselves physicians, more per capita than the country would have in 1970. Few had formal medical education, and many were charlatans. The stethoscope appeared in 1816. The first dental school opened in Baltimore in 1839. Anesthesia came in the 1840s. Clean water supplies in urban areas greatly reduced epidemics of water-borne diseases such as typhoid and cholera, which had ravaged cities for centuries. In the 1850s and 1860s, it was discovered that many diseases were caused by specific microorganisms, as was the infection of wounds, surgical and other. The germ theory of disease, the most powerful idea in the history of medicine, converted medicine into a science. Most of the advances in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, however, were preventive rather than curative. Louis Pasteur and others, using their new knowledge of microorganisms, began developing vaccines: rabies, whooping cough, and diphtheria. And then vitamin deficiencies such as pellagra began to decline in the early 20th century. When milk pasteurization began to be widely mandated around that time, the death rate among children plunged. In 1891, the death rate for American children in the first year of life was 125 per 1000. By 1925, it had been reduced to 16 per 1000 and life expectancy of Americans began to dramatically rise.
Bacterial detection using bacteriophages and gold nanorods by following time-dependent changes in Raman spectral signals
Published in Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology, 2018
Farzaneh Moghtader, Aysel Tomak, Hadi M. Zareie, Erhan Piskin
Food and water borne diseases are among the most serious and costly public health concerns worldwide. They are still one of the major causes of morbidity, in spite of modern technologies and safety concerns. Food and water are the most important resources for humans, but unfortunately for microorganisms as well. Transfer of the pathogenic bacteria via contaminated food/water consumption is a common among daily event and is the major route for serious infections [1,2]. Therefore, it is obvious that bacterial contaminations in food/water must be detected/monitored very effectively and efficiently in all stages of production, processing, transportation and consumption. Development of fast, accurate and sensitive detection and monitoring of pathogens, which should be miniaturized/portable automated therefore cost effective, is a very important challenge.