One of the highest self-reported incidence rates of acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) in the global peer-reviewed literature occurs in Inuit communities in the Canadian Arctic. This high incidence of illness could be due, in part, to the consumption of contaminated water, as many northern communities face challenges related to the quality of municipal drinking water. Furthermore, many Inuit ...

Drinking water quality was investigated at source and corresponding point-of-use in 2 peri-urban areas receiving drinking water either by communal water tanker or by delivery directly from the distribution system to household-based groundtanks with taps. Water quality variables measured were heterotrophic bacteria, total coliforms, E. coli, conductivity, turbidity, pH, and total and residual ch...

BACKGROUND Malaria is a highly debilitating and frequently fatal disease of wide distribution. Improper drug storage and rampant self-medication are some of the factors that may contribute to an increase in the development of drug resistance by malaria parasites towards antimalarials. OBJECTIVES To determine the extent of antimalarial drugs storage, sources and associated factors at household...

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms occur in freshwater lakes, ponds, rivers, and reservoirs, and in brackish waters throughout the world. The wide variety of cyanotoxins and their congeners can lead to frequent exposure of humans through consumption of meat, fish, seafood, blue-green algal products and water, accidental ingestion of contaminated water and cyanobacterial scum during recreationa...

Studies in Southern Africa have shown that even when microbiologically safe water is supplied to developing communities at communal standpipes, contamination by high numbers of pathogenic microorganisms may occur during the processes of fetching water from the supply source and storage during use at home, rendering such waters unsafe for human consumption. This study investigated the occurrence...