Cholera and household water treatment why communities do not treat water after a cholera outbreak: a case study in Limpopo Province

Mudau, Lutendo Sylvia, Mukhola, Murembiwa Stanley and Hunter, Paul Raymond ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5608-6144 (2017) Cholera and household water treatment why communities do not treat water after a cholera outbreak: a case study in Limpopo Province. Southern African Journal of Infectious Diseases, 32 (1). pp. 5-8.

Preview

PDF (Published manuscript) - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (378kB) | Preview

Abstract

Background: Cholera is one of the common diseases in developing countries caused by consumption of contaminated and untreated drinking water. A study was conducted 7 months after a cholera outbreak in Vhembe district, Limpopo, South Africa. The aim of the study was to assess if the communities were still conforming to safe water practices after an outbreak of cholera. Methodology: One hundred and fifty-two (152) participants from 11 villages were recruited to form 21 focus groups, with a mean of 7. The interview transcripts were coded and arranged based on the study themes. Results: Of the 21 groups in 11 villages, three villages were using water from boreholes, six were using river water and three were using mixed sources which included river, canal and spring water, three depended on municipal tanks and only six were using tap water. Only 19% of the respondents treated their water, even though the majority of communities reported treatment of water as a priority. Four villages claimed they never received environmental health education at all, while most of the villages confirmed they received education during a cholera outbreak. Conclusion: Regardless of the outbreak and health education efforts done, communities continued using unprotected water sources without any form of treatment, as they perceived it to be unimportant. Sustainable water supplies and environmental health education should be continued after an outbreak as it is important for public health gains.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2016 The Author(s). Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons License [CC BY-NC 3.0]
Uncontrolled Keywords:	cholera outbreak,communication,drinking water,health education,household water,safe practices,water treatment,sdg 3 - good health and well-being,sdg 6 - clean water and sanitation ,/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/good_health_and_well_being
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Epidemiology and Public Health Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Centres > Water Security Research Centre Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Public Health and Health Services Research (former - to 2023) Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Population Health
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	26 Oct 2016 15:00
Last Modified:	19 Oct 2023 01:49
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/61074
DOI:	10.1080/23120053.2016.1157951

Downloads

Actions (login required)

View Item