An Overview of Water-borne Diseases: Risk factors and Prevention practices

Water is essential for human life and public health because up to 60% of the adult human body is made up of water. However, much of the world's population does not have access to sufficient and safe drinking water. The most common waterborne diseases are diarrheal diseases such as cholera, typhoid, paratyphoid, salmonella, giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis. Also, health risks may be caused by chemical and radioactive compounds of water. In fact, some chemicals dissolved in water may be essential substances for food consumption, and some may be harmful in higher than permissible concentrations. These compounds can include various metals, synthetic organic materials and essential elements such as fluoride, iodine and selenium. This is why drinking water quality is a global health concern, especially in developing countries. This review study was conducted with the aim of reviewing the current and past researches in the field of waterborne diseases and most importantly the effective factors in transmitted diseases as well as methods of prevention and finally identifying potential gaps in studies related to waterborne diseases. The review of the literature showed that unsafe water and lack of access to basic sanitation facilities are the main causes of the outbreak of water-borne diseases. Improving drinking water conditions, proper sanitary facilities, especially sanitary disposal of feces, leads to the reduction of water-borne diseases.