Health impact assessment of Solar Disinfection (SODIS) of drinking water in three African countries

Abstract

Access to affordable, safe and sufficient quantities of water is fundamental to health and dignity of all humans. However, in 2006 an estimated 1.1 billion people still had no access to safe water and 2.6 billion lacked access to basic sanitation (UNICEF, 2010). An estimated 94% of the diarrhoeal burden of disease is attributable to the environment, and associated with risk factors such as unsafe drinking water, lack of sanitation and poor hygiene (Prüss-Üstün and Corvalán, 2006). Water contaminated with waterborne pathogens has a direct and profound negative effect on human health and consequently livelihoods, in the developed and developing world. The immediate adverse health effects of ingesting enteric waterborne pathogens mostly manifest in the form of diarrhoea. Globally diarrhoea ranks as the second largest cause of morbidity (UNICEF/WHO, 2009). One in five deaths in children is caused by diarrhoea bringing the number to a staggering 1.5 million children each year (UNICEF/WHO, 2009). Young children are impacted the most and for those infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who have developed acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), diarrhoea can be prolonged and severe and can ultimately cause death (USAID/BASIC, 2007). Solar disinfection (SODIS) refers to disinfection of water in transparent plastic bottles using sunlight. The effect of SODIS on diarrhoea in children was determined in South Africa (January, 2007 to December 2008), Kenya (July 2007 to March 2009) and Zimbabwe (June 2009 to November 2009). Based on information of census data and accessibility, peri-urban and rural areas with different socio-economic levels and water sources were selected as study areas. This thesis describes the rationale, methods and findings of the first scientific objective “Health impact assessments in three African countries.” The author was responsible for the overall coordination of the three African studies based on the protocol of the health impact assessments she developed during the proposal development phase. The health impact assessments were undertaken in South Africa by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and two non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the Institute for Water and Sanitation Development (IWSD) in Zimbabwe and the International Community for the Relief of Starvation and Suffering (ICROSS) in Kenya.