After the flood: an evaluation of in-home drinking water treatment with combined flocculent-disinfectant following Tropical Storm Jeanne -- Gonaives, Haiti, 2004.
Tropical Storm Jeanne struck Haiti in September 2004, causing widespread flooding which contaminated water sources, displaced thousands of families and killed approximately 2,800 people. Local leaders distributed PūR, a flocculent-disinfectant product for household water treatment, to affected populations. We evaluated knowledge, attitudes, practices, and drinking water quality among a sample of PūR recipients. We interviewed representatives of 100 households in three rural communities who received PūR and PūR-related education. Water sources were tested for fecal contamination and turbidity; stored household water was tested for residual chlorine. All households relied on untreated water sources (springs [66%], wells [15%], community taps [13%], and rivers [6%]). After distribution, PūR was the most common in-home treatment method (58%) followed by chlorination (30%), plant-based flocculation (6%), boiling (5%), and filtration (1%). Seventy-eight percent of respondents correctly answered five questions about how to use PūR; 81% reported PūR easy to use; and 97% reported that PūR-treated water appears, tastes, and smells better than untreated water. Although water sources tested appeared clear, fecal coliform bacteria were detected in all sources (range 1 - >200 cfu/100 ml). Chlorine was present in 10 (45%) of 22 stored drinking water samples in households using PūR. PūR was well-accepted and properly used in remote communities where local leaders helped with distribution and education. This highly effective water purification method can help protect disaster-affected communities from waterborne disease.
Colindres
Romulo E
RE
Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta GA 30333, USA.
Jain
Seema
S
Bowen
Anna
A
Mintz
Eric
E
Domond
Polyana
P
D000328:Adult; D002713:Chlorine / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D004190:Disasters; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005243:Feces; D005374:Filtration; D005427:Flocculation; D006205:Haiti; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D012066:Relief Work; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*; D014881:Water Supply
D004202:Disinfectants; D014873:Water Pollutants; D002713:Chlorine