Start | Browse by Day | Author Index | Keyword Index

Prevalence of Water Borne and Skin Diseases in Lalabad Community, Karachi during October to December 2007

Tuesday, 8 July 2008: 8:50 AM
Salima M. Farooq, RN , School of nursing, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
Sizna Mohamed, RN , Aga Khan School of Nursinf, Aga khan school of nursing Karachi Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan
Yasmin P. Parpio, BScN, MSc, Epi, &, Bio , School of Nursing, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
Gideon Victor, RN , Aga Khan University School of Nursing, Aga Khan University Karachi, Pakistan, Islamabad, Pakistan
Rukhsana Yasmin, RN , Aga Khan University School of Nursing, Aga Khan University Karachi, Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan

Learning Objective 1: Identify the prevelance of water borne and skin diseases at deprived community.

Learning Objective 2: identify the strategies to bring the behavior modification among these community

The human body's dependence on a regular intake of water is second only to its need for oxygen. (Clemen-Stone, 1998). Annually, more than 4 billion of individuals develop diarrhea due to unsafe water and inadequate sanitation & hygiene (UNICEF, 2005). In poor urban communities in Pakistan, children still die from preventable disease related to unsafe drinking water. In Pakistan, 9% of people die because of unsafe water drinking (AKHSP, 2005). The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of water borne disease, worm infestation, and skin diseases.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted to achieve study objectives. Systematic sampling was employed and forty households were inquired about the prevalence of the water borne disease, worm infestation, and skin diseases. A structured questionnaire was administered to the Lalabad community, Karachi Pakistan. Content validity of the instrument was established. Moreover, two water samples were drawn from housholds to assess the water contamination.

Descriptive analysis was performed using frequencies and proportions to estimate the prevalence of diseases with the help of SPSS version 15.0. The study found the prevalence of diarrhea (50%), Dysentery (16%), Cholera (2%), hepatitis A (3%), typhoid (2%), worm infestation (8%), and skin problems (19%). Surprisingly 25% people did not visit physicians for above; whereas, 47.5% visited hospital, 20% rely on home remedies and 7.5% went for both home remedies and hospital consult.

The study showed the higher prevalence of water borne diseases and skin problems in the Lalabad community. In the nutshell, there is a great need to aware community about the methods of purifying water.

See more of: Nursing Strategies to Improve Public Health
See more of: Research Sessions – Oral Paper & Posters