Wdiseases on the ground like the swimmer ‘s ear, norovirus, and legionnaires’ disease make more than 7 million Americans sick, hospitalize more than 100,000, and kill nearly 7,000 each course, a new report on estimates of disease control and prevention centers. The germs they also accumulate billions in health care costs.
The report, published by the CDC a Wednesday is the first of its kind to try to love how much suffering causes water-borne germs in the U.S. every year. Estimates are based on multiple sources of information, including emergency surveillance data from hospitals, hospitals, and medical offices. It focuses on 17 infectious diseases that are commonly reported and spread through contaminated water, and not just on what things we drink, but also the water there swimming pools and hot tubs, as well as aerosolized water from air conditioners, for example.
“It is important to think about something more than the water we drink when thinking about preventing water-borne diseases. We inhale water in the air, and we bathe, swim and play in the water, also, ”CDC lead author and epidemiologist Sarah Collier told Gizmodo.
By far, the water-borne disease that makes Americans sickest is a swimmer ‘s ear, also known as otitis externa. It accounts for approximately two-thirds of all cases, causing approximately 4.7 million illnesses annually. Swimmers the ear is basically an infection of the external auditory canal, caused by germs that colonize the channel when water gets stuck inside Thit only rarely causes serious illness, it is no picnic, according to Collier.
“The swimmer’s ear may seem like a minor annoyance, but these infections can be extremely painful, and they cause more than 20,000 hospitalizations a year, ”he said.
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Safer drinking water and sanitation have greatly reduced the threat of water-borne diseases in the United States over the past century, as diseases as frightening as cholera are no longer a concern. But, as Collier points out, there are still millions who get sick of these mistakes every year. Though, local and state governments have yet to make one best job of keeping the water supply secure, there are simple steps we can take to reduce our own personal risk of water-borne diseases.
“People can prevent germs transmitted by water at home by washing taps and shower heads if they have not been used recently, cleaning, disinfecting and maintaining all devices that use water and communicating with their water network. Collier said. The swimmer’s ear can be prevented by keeping the ears dry, such as by ear plugs while swimming.
After the swimmer’s ear, nOrovirus infection is the second most common waterborne disease, causing about 1.3 million cases a year. Is it like that very contagious, capable of spreading both from close contact and through contaminated food and water. AAnyone who has had the misfortune of having it well knows it, it is incredibly unpleasant to go through, causing diarrhea, vomiting, and other flu-like symptoms. Another diarrheal disease, caused by water lovers the parasite Giardia, is the third most common, disease approximately 415,000 Americans every year.
The most common waterborne infection that hospitalizes people is caused by a group called mycobacteria. These bacteria are related to the germs that cause tuberculosis and leprosy, and them are found all over our soil, water, and dust. Most of the time they do not cause any disease, but in people who are already ill or with a weakened immune system they can cause problems. Non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections are thought to cause about 51,000 hospitalizations a year. After the swimmer’s ear, the third most common source of annual hospitalizations: a 15,500: comes from lung infections (pneumonia) of Pseudomonas bacteria.
NTM i Pseudomonas pneumonia causes most of the deaths attributed to water-borne diseases. Another common source of death comes from Legionnaires’ disease, caused by legionella bacteria. Legionnaires’ disease is famous for spreading through contaminated water that has been sprayed by air conditioners or even jacuzzi. NTM i Pseudomonas meanwhile, pneumonia is often found in hospitals and can be spread through contaminated medical equipment. What makes these three germs even more dangerous is that they can become biofilm, a resistant, viscous colony of bacteria that is harder to kill tthrough standard decontamination (when biofilms form in the body, they are also harder to kill with antibiotics).
All in all, it is estimated that 7.15 million people in the United States suffer from waterborne diseases and send 601,000 people to the emergency department. hospitalize 118,000, and kill 6,630. These visits to emergency rooms and hospitals add up, bringing direct health costs of $ 3.333 billion annually.
The CDC has safety guidelines for people who use their own private well water as well guidelines for recreational aquatic facilities such as public swimming pools and water parks. On this last note, one what a never do that swim in the pools if you feel unwell with diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. The less poop germs in the water, the better for everyone.