W.disease-borne illnesses such as swimmer ‘s ear, norovirus, and Legionnaires’ disease make more than 7 million Americans sick, hospitalize more than 100,000 and kill nearly 7,000 each year, a new report from the estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The germs also generate billions in health care costs.
The report, published by the CDC Wednesday is the first of its kind to try to estimate how much suffering water-borne germs cause in the U.S. every year. Estimates are based on multiple sources of information, including surveillance data from emergency rooms, hospitals and doctor’s offices. It targets 17 commonly reported infectious diseases spread through contaminated water – not just some we drink, but also the water found in it swimming pools and whirlpools, but also water spray from air conditioning units, for example.
“It’s important to think about more than just the water we drink when thinking about preventing water-borne illness. We breathe water in the air and we bathe, swim and play in water, also, ”lead author and CDC epidemiologist Sarah Collier told Gizmodo.
By far the water-borne illness that makes Americans sick the most is a swimmer ‘s ear, also known as otitis externa. It accounts for about two-thirds of all cases and causes an estimated 4.7 million illnesses per year. Swimmer’s The ear is actually an infection of the external ear canal, caused by germs that colonize the canal if water gets trapped in it. ThAlthough it rarely leads to serious illness, it is no fun, Collier said.
“Swimmer’s ear may seem like a minor nuisance, but these infections can be excruciatingly painful, and they cause more than 20,000 hospitalizations a year, ”she said.
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Safer drinking water and sanitation have greatly reduced the threat of water-borne illness in the US over the past century, with once terrifying illnesses such as cholera no longer a concern. But as Collier points out, millions still get sick from these bugs every year. Though local and state governments still need one better job To keep our water supply safe, there are simple steps we can take to reduce our own personal risk of water-borne illness.
“People can prevent waterborne germs at home by flushing faucets and shower heads if they have not been used recently, cleaning, disinfecting and maintaining all devices that use water, and communicating with their water company,” Collier said. Swimmers ear can be prevented by keeping our ears dry, for example by using earplugs while swimming.
To the swimmer’s ear, norovirus infection is the second most common water-borne disease, causing about 1.3 million cases per year. Her very contagious, can spread through close contact and through contaminated food and water. AAnyone who has been unlucky enough to have it knows, it’s incredibly unpleasant to go through, causing diarrhea, vomiting, and other flu-like symptoms. Another diarrheal disease, caused by the water lovers parasite Giardia, is the third most common, causing an estimated 415,000 Americans to become ill every year.
The most common water-borne infection involving people in the hospital is caused by a group called mycobacteria. These bacteria are related to the germs that cause tuberculosis and leprosy, and so are they can be found everywhere in our soil, water, and dust. Usually they don’t cause disease at all, but in people who are already sick or have weakened immune systems, they can cause problems. Non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections (NTMs) are believed to cause approximately 51,000 hospitalizations per year. After the swimmer’s ear, the third most common source of annual hospital admissions – op 15,500 – comes from lung infections (pneumonia) of Pseudomonas bacteria.
NTMs and Pseudomonas pneumonia causes most of the deaths attributed to water-borne illness. Another common cause of death is Legionnaires’ disease caused by legionella bacteria. Legionnaires’ disease is notorious for spreading via polluted water that has been converted into aerosol from air conditioners or even whirlpools. NTMs and Pseudomonas pneumonia, meanwhile, is commonly found in hospitals and can spread through contaminated medical equipment. What makes these three germs even more dangerous is that they can build up into biofilm, a hardy and slimy colony of bacteria that harder to kill through standard decontamination (when biofilms form in the body, they are also more difficult to kill with antibiotics).
All told, water-borne illnesses an estimated 7.15 million people in the US fall ill each year, send 601,000 people to the emergency department, hospitalization 118,000, and kill 6,630. These emergency room and hospital visits add up, leading to $ 3.33 billion in direct healthcare costs per year.
The CDC has safety guidelines for people who use their own spring water, as well guidelines for recreational water facilities such as public swimming pools and water parks. On that last note, one thing to never do is swimming in pools when you feel sick with diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. The fewer poop bacteria in the water, the better for everyone.