Abstract
Communicable diseases are of particular concern in conflict and disaster-affected populations that reside in camp settings. In the acute emergency phase, diarrhoeal diseases have accounted for more than 40% of deaths among camp residents. Clear limitations exist in current water treatment technologies, and few products are capable of treating turbid water. We describe the findings of a 12-week effectiveness study of point-of-use water treatment with a flocculant-disinfectant among 400 households in camps for displaced populations in Monrovia, Liberia. In intervention households, point-of-use water treatment with the flocculant-disinfectant plus improved storage reduced diarrhoea incidence by 90% and prevalence by 83%, when compared with control households with improved water storage alone. Among the intervention group, residual chlorine levels met or exceeded Sphere standards in 85% (95% CI: 83.1-86.8) of observations with a 95% compliance rate.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1542-1552 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Tropical Medicine and International Health |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 2006 |
Keywords
- Diarrhoea
- Flocculant- disinfectant
- Household water treatment
- Liberia
- Point-of-use water treatment
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Parasitology
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Infectious Diseases