Water and human health

This study of the relationship between water supply and health begins with a general overview of water-related diseases, the historical development of our understanding of the water-disease relationship, and water"s importance for maternal/child health, nutrition, sanitation, and primary health care. The four subsequent sections provide detailed information on specific diseases, whether water-borne (e.g., diarrhea, cholera, typhoid fever), water hygiene (diseases which can be combated by improved personal and domestic hygiene), water contact (especially schistosomiasis), or water habitat vector-borne (malaria, filariasis) diseases. Sections six through eight address health considerations in the production of drinking water, including methods for evaluating the transmission of microbiological diseases in drinking water and the public health effectiveness of water treatment and of excreta and wastewater treatment and disposal. Section nine reviews published epidemiological and other models of the health impact of water supplies, primarily in developing countries. Extensive bibliographies are provided for each section and for specific diseases; appended is a series of analyses of selected field studies.