Water and Sanitation Related Diseases and the Environment: Challenges, Interventions and Preventive Measures

This book presents the most complete treatment possible of the conditions responsible for water and sanitation-related diseases, the pathogens involved and their biology, the morbidity and mortality resulting from lack of safe water and sanitation, the distribution of these diseases, and the conditions that must be met to reduce or eradicate them. Written by experts from the fields of public health, medicine, epidemiology, environmental health, climate change, environmental engineering, and population research, this authoritative volume provides a thorough understanding of the interconnection among many factors linked to water-related diseases, sanitation, and hygiene.

Divided into eight comprehensive sections that address the concerns from an international perspective, this volume covers:

• The significance of the close relationships between water access and quality, lack of adequate sanitation and hygiene, and the relationship of human activity to the diseases

• Means of accessing clean water and preventing contamination of water

• The range of sanitation and hygiene measures available to reduce disease

• The broad extent, variety, and ramifications of environmental factors

• Ameliorating conditions and preventive measures to reduce pollutants found in ground and surface waters

• The adverse health impacts of water pollution, dam construction, irrigation development, and flood control

Preventive measures and innovative, successful solutions are presented throughout, as well as featured in more detail in a special section at the end of the book. This section highlights examples from a diversity of locations in both developed and developing countries, focusing on what has been achieved in the control of water-related diseases—and what can be accomplished if the multi-factorial approach in this book is followed. The accompanying DVD, as well as a companion website, includes this vital information in the form of case studies and articles, providing guidance for possible action on local and national as well as international levels.

This timely text is an essential resource for all graduate students and postdoctoral scholars as well as for professionals in infectious diseases, public health and medicine, chemical and environmental engineering, international affairs, disease prevention, and public policy.