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Water-borne Diseases (WBD): |
Are diseases which arise from the contamination of water by human or animal faeces or urine infected by pathogenic viruses or bacteria, and which is directly transmitted when the water is drunk or used in the preparation of food.
To learn more about each disease, click on its name.
| Disease and Transmission | Microbial Agent | Sources of Agent in Water Supply | General Symptoms |
| Amebiasis (hand-to-mouth) | Protozoan (Entamoeba histolytic) (Cyst-like appearance) | Sewage, non-treated drinking water, flies in water supply | Abdominal discomfort, fatigue, weight loss, diarrhea, gas pains Fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea |
| Campylobacteriosis (oral-fecal) | Untreated water, sewage, poor hygiene, crowded living conditions with inadequate sewage facilities | Watery diarrhea, vomiting, occasional muscle cramps | |
| Cholera (oral-fecal) | Bacterium (Vibrio cholerae) | Untreated water, sewage, poor hygiene, crowded living conditions with inadequate sewage facilities. | Diarrhea, abdominal discomfort |
| Cryptosporidiosis (oral) | Protozoan (Cryptosporidium parvum) | Collects on water filters and membranes that cannot be disinfected, animal manure, seasonal runoff of water. | Flu-like symptoms, watery diarrhea , loss of appetite, substantial loss of weight, bloating, increased gas, stomach |
| Cyclosporiasis | Protozoan parasite (Cyclospora cayetanensis) | Sewage, non-treated drinking water | cramps, nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, low-grade fever, and fatigue |
| Giardiasis (oral-fecal) (hand-to-mouth) | Protozoan (Giardia lamblia) Most common intestinal parasite | Untreated water, poor disinfection, pipe breaks, leaks, groundwater contamination, campgrounds where humans and wildlife use same source of water. Beavers and muskrats act as a reservoir for Giardia. | Diarrhea, abdominal discomfort, bloating, gas and gas pains |
| Hepatitis A (oral-fecal) | Virus (Hepatitis A) | Raw sewage, untreated drinking water, poor hygiene, ingestion of shellfish from sewage-flooded beds | Fever, chills, abdominal discomfort, jaundice, urine dark |
| Salmonellosis (oral transmission) | Bacterium (Salmonella species) | Contaminated water, shellfish, turtles, fish | Gastroenteritis, fever and rapid blood-poisoning. |
| Shigellosis (oral-fecal) | Bacterium (Shigella species) | Sludge, untreated wastewater, groundwater contamination, poorly disinfected drinking water. | Fever, diarrhea, bloody stools |
| Schistosomiasis (immersion) | Schistosoma | Contaminated fresh water with certain types of snails that carry schistosomes | Rash or itchy skin. Fever, chills, cough, and muscle aches |
| Typhoid fever (oral-fecal) | Bacterium (Salmonella typhi) | Raw sewage (carried and excreted in feces by humans), water supplies with surface water source. | Fever, headache, constipation, appetite loss, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal rash |
| Viral gastroenteritis (oral-fecal) | Viruses (includes Norwalk and rotavirus family) | Sewage, contaminated water, inadequately disinfected drinking water (mostly surface water sources). | Repeated vomiting and diarrhea over 24-hour period, gastrointestinal discomfort, headache, fever. |
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Estimates of Global Morbidity and Mortality of Water-Related Diseases (early 1990s) |
| Disease | Morbidity (episodes/year or people infected) | Mortality (deaths/year) |
| Diarrheal Diseases | 1,000,000,000 |
3,300,000 |
| Intestinal Helminths | 1,500,000,000 (people infected) | 100,000 |
| Schistosomiasis | 200,000,000 (people infected) | 200,000 |
| Dracunculiasis | 150,000 (in 1996) | - |
| Trachoma | 150,000,000 (active cases) | - |
| Malaria | 400,000,000 | 1,500,000 |
| Dengue Fever | 1,750,000 | 20,000 |
| Poliomyelitis | 114,000 | - |
| Trypanosomiasis | 275,000 | 130,000 |
| Bancroftian Filariasis | 72,800,000 (people infected) | - |
| Onchocerciasis | 17,700,000 (people infected; 270,000 blind) | 40,000 (mortality caused by blindness) |