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The Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition
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ISSN: 1606-0997
EISSN: 1606-0997
Vol. 28, No. 5, 2010, pp. 424-435
Bioline Code: hn10056
Full paper language: English
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge

The Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, Vol. 28, No. 5, 2010, pp. 424-435

 en Suffering for water, suffering from water: Access to drinking-water and associated health risks in Cameroon
Nguendo Yongsi, H. Blaise

Abstract

Although many African countries, along the equator, receive a great amount of rainfall and possess a dense hydrographic network, access to drinking-water remains a great challenge. In many households, water is used for various purposes, including domestic and crafts activities. According to the World Health Organi-zation, an estimated four billion cases of diarrheoa occurs worldwide, of which 88% are ascribed to unsafe drinking-water. This study aimed at evaluating health risks in the usage of contaminated drinking-water and its relationship with the prevalence of diarrhoeal diseases in Yaounde, Cameroon. In this cross-sec-tional epidemiological design, 3, 034 households with children aged less than five years were investigated. Households were selected from among 20 representative neighbourhoods out of 105 that made up the city. The study revealed a diarrheoa prevalence of 14. 4% ( 437 diarrheoa cases out of 3, 034 children tested). Among various risk factors examined, water-supply modes and quality of drinking-water were statistically associated with diarrheoa cases. Moreover, levels of diarrheoa attacks varied considerably from one neigh-bourhood to the other. The spatial analysis helped determine neighbourhoods of higher and lower preva-lence of diarrheoa in the city.

Keywords
Cross-sectional studies; Diarrhoea; Disparity; Drinking-water; Risk factors; Water quality; Water pollution; Water supply; Cameroon

 
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