Consequences of Water Related Diseases

•	Death

Many people have died due to illnesses caused by using unsafe water. Even when death is more common in children under the age of five, older people are also prone to death. The death rates are even higher due to the fact that in developing countries and among the rural poor, social amenities like clinics or hospitals are a considerable distance away. The roads are poor and sometimes the clinics lack facilities that can help the sick individuals.

•	Reduced Productivity From Sick Individuals

When people get sick they spend most of their time resting or recuperating. This leads to lost time that would have otherwise have been put in productive use. Other times, they individuals do not fully recover leading to general reduced productivity over the years.

•	Stress And Strain On Savings

It is a strain when the little money that a household may have to save is used up looking for cure for illnesses that are preventable. As much as it would be a strain on the savings, many a times, poor households do not even have the saving, making them to borrow and end up being indebted in the search of cure for diseases that are preventable.

•	Vulnerability to Illness

The immune system is ever compromised whenever people become sick. This is so especially when other diseases are opportunist. This means that these diseases attack when the immune system of an individual is reduced, for example Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

•	 Poverty

When useful time, money and other resources are spent in fighting diseases that can be prevented and are curable, a lot of work force is put to waste leading to poverty. Poverty may not be immediate but rather it would encroach into a household. This is so because if the household does not practice good hygiene then the chances of the communicable diseases affecting other members of the household is high.

•	Infecting Immediate Family Members

Some problems that come in one but may rapidly multiple are communicable diseases like diarrhea, flu, and even skin diseases like scabies. In a household where water is unsafe, or not enough, it becomes very easy for loving family members to pass on their illness to others, when they are being taken care of as sick people. When the sick people interact with other family member in simple ways like preparing food, sharing meals, sharing beddings and clothing, or even sharing basins and other communal equipment they may communicate their diseases to others.

Access to safe water in developing countries leads to

•	Reduced deaths of persons, especially children under five

•	Less illnesses and contagious diseases

•	Time saving (women spend over 6 hours looking for water) and less strenuous activities

•	Increased food security

•	Increased sanitation in homes, hospitals and other social facilities like hotels and restaurants

•	Water for firefighting and other public issues e.g. streets and public toilets.