Epidemiological Trends of Waterborne Infectious Diseases and the Role of Community Health Nurses, Health Inspectors, and Epidemiology Workers in Prevention | ||
| Journal of Medical and Life Science | ||
| Volume 7, Issue 3, September 2025, Pages 525-536 PDF (953.68 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/jmals.2025.448146 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Ali Yahya Ghazwani* 1; HAMOUD SAAD AL SHAHRANl2; HASSAN HAMAD HASSAN ALSHAHRANI3; Saud Ahmed Ali Mubarki4; Abdullah Ayed Al-Qarni5; Adel Mohaimeed Alharbi6; Amal khalifah Almutairi7; ALI ABDULLAH ALHUMAIDI8; Sultan Hammadi Al-Issawi9; Abdullah Abdulrahman Al-Tais10; Faisal Mohammed Saeed Al-Otaibi9 | ||
| 1King Khalid Air Base Public Health, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | ||
| 2King Khalid Air Base Food Safety, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | ||
| 3Ministry of Defense, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | ||
| 4Pharmacy, Family and Community Medicine Center at the Ministries, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | ||
| 5Prince Sultan Military Medical City in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | ||
| 6Qassim Health cluster, Alasyah General Hospital, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | ||
| 7Family and Community Medicine Center, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | ||
| 8Physiotherapy (Nursing), Armed forces hospital, southern region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | ||
| 9Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | ||
| 10(Radiology) King Abdulaziz Military College, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Waterborne infectious diseases (WBD), contracted via contamination in water supplies, are one of the most significant healthcare problems worldwide. More than 7 million people become ill each year in the United States from WBD, and WBD contributes to 1.5 million deaths per year around the world, which is primarily in low- and middle-income countries. This study explores the changing epidemiology of WBD with consideration of the decline in enteric pathogenic WBD (i.e., Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Norovirus, etc.) compared to the increase in biofilm WBD, such as Legionella pneumophila and Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) in developed countries. Furthermore, in low-resource areas, a lack of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) contributes to continuing WBD, such as cholera and typhoid, in the communities utilizing these resources. Data is obtained from the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) programs initiated in Vancouver (Canada). The study identified the variation in pathogens, outbreak trends, and risk factors (e.g., climate change, aging infrastructure, etc). Finally, the roles of community health nurses, health inspectors, and epidemiology workers for surveillance, education, and enforcement or regulations, and reporting were examined as major elements of WBD prevention. Evidence-based strategies for prevention of WBD based on the overall enhancement of communities, for example, the improvement of the water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure, and community engagement and participation, were considered. The outcome of this study may serve as a guide to inform strategies for public health to lessen the burden caused by WBD illnesses throughout the world. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Waterborne diseases; epidemiology; WASH; community health; prevention | ||
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