Waterborne Diseases: Causes, Symptoms & Prevention
Recent health reports from Kerala brought attention to a rare yet serious infection called Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM). This condition is caused by the amoeba Naegleria fowleri and occurs when contaminated water enters the body through the nose often during swimming in untreated freshwater. Although extremely rare, such cases highlight a much broader public health concern: unsafe water exposure . Around the same time, a water contamination incident in Indore led to widespread gastrointestinal illness after residents consumed polluted municipal water. While these incidents differ in severity, they point to a shared issue poor water safety and sanitation . In countries like India, factors such as rapid urbanisation, ageing pipelines, flooding, and inadequate sanitation systems contribute to water contamination. As a result, millions remain at risk of diseases ranging from mild infections to life-threatening conditions like Cholera and Hepatitis A . Understandin...