Where's the pump? Associating sporadic enteric disease with drinking water using a geographic information system, in British Columbia, Canada, 1996-2005.
We investigated whether risk of sporadic enteric disease differs by drinking water source and type using surveillance data and a geographic information system. We performed a cross-sectional analysis, at the individual level, that compared reported cases of enteric disease with drinking water source (surface or ground water) and type (municipal or private). We mapped 814 cases of campylobacteriosis, cryptosporidiosis, giardiasis, salmonellosis and verotoxigenic Escherichia coli infection, in a region of British Columbia, Canada, from 1996 to 2005, and determined the water source and type for each case's residence. Over the 10-year period, the risk of disease was 5.2 times higher for individuals living on land parcels serviced by private wells and 2.3 times higher for individuals living on land parcels serviced by the municipal surface/ground water mixed system, than the municipal ground water system. Rates of sporadic enteric disease potentially differ by drinking water source and type. Geographic information system technology and surveillance data are accessible to local public health authorities and used together are an efficient and affordable way to assess the role of drinking water in sporadic enteric disease.
Uhlmann
Sasha
S
Faculty of Health Sciences. Simon Fraser University, Blusson Hall, Rm 11300, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby BC, Canada V5A 1S6. sashauhlmann@yahoo.ca
Galanis
Eleni
E
Takaro
Tim
T
Mak
Sunny
S
Gustafson
Larry
L
Embree
Glen
G
Bellack
Neil
N
Corbett
Kitty
K
Isaac-Renton
Judy
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001955:British Columbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D003458:Cryptosporidium / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004756:Enterobacteriaceae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D005872:Giardia / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005873:Giardiasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012475:Salmonella / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014881:Water Supply; D055815:Young Adult