Impact of Low-Cost Point-of-Use Water Treatment Technologies on Enteric Infections and Growth among Children in Limpopo, South Africa.

Impact of Low-Cost Point-of-Use Water Treatment Technologies on Enteric Infections and Growth among Children in Limpopo, South Africa. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2020 Aug 24;: Authors: Hill CL, McCain K, Nyathi ME, Edokpayi JN, Kahler DM, Operario DJ, Taylor DDJ, Wright NC, Smith JA, Guerrant RL, Samie A, Dillingham RA, Bessong PO, Rogawski McQuade ET Abstract Enteric infections early in life have been associated with poor linear growth among children in low-resource settings. Point-of-use water treatment technologies provide effective and low-cost solutions to reduce exposure to enteropathogens from drinking water, but it is unknown whether the use of these technologies translates to improvements in child growth. We conducted a community-based randomized controlled trial of two water treatment technologies to estimate their effects on child growth in Limpopo, South Africa. We randomized 404 households with a child younger than 3 years to receive a silver-impregnated ceramic water filter, a silver-impregnated ceramic tablet, a safe-storage water container alone, or no intervention, and these households were followed up quarterly for 2 years. We estimated the effects of the interventions on linear and ponderal growth, enteric infections assessed by quantitative molecular diagnostics, and diarrhea prevalence. The silver-impregnated ceramic water filters and tablets consistently achieved approximately 1.2 and 3 log reductions, respectively, in ...
Source: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene - Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Tags: Am J Trop Med Hyg Source Type: research