Poor Water Sanitation in Sierra Leone

Xsarina and Ella have chosen this project because they knew it
was quite a big problem and felt they could make people more
aware of it. Saarah and I joined their group, quite far into the
project. I think Saarah and I had progressed very well, even
though we had only been in the group for a few weeks.
Why Did we Choose Sierra Leone?
We have chosen sierra Leone because we feel it is one of the
worst places with poor water sanitation and we feel we could
make people more aware of it.
What is each of us doing?
Xsarina was doing the problem, solution and outcome. She is
now doing the blog with Ella. Saarah is presenting what Xsarina
did at the start and adding some other things to it into a leaflet.
Finally I am writing about diseases poor water sanitation can
cause.
Sierra Leone
The life expectancy in Sierra Leone is around 56 years. Thats
one of the lowest in the world. Even though 3.7 million people
have clean and sanitized water (just in Sierra Leone) 2.4 million
people are without it. The population in Sierra Leone is 6.1
million. Infections and parasites are found in the water, overall
health and living are poor.
CHOLERA
Cholera is a bacterial infection which is mainly caused by
drinking or eating contaminated food or drink, which has
previously come into contact with the parasites.

Symptoms
You may develop these symptoms within a few days of
infection, but in some cases symptoms can occur within a few
hours.
Rapid heart rate
Loss of skin elasticity (if you pinch your skin, it wont go
back to its normal shape as quickly)
Dry mucous membranes e.g. mouth, throat, nose and
eyelids
Low blood pressure
Thirst
Muscle cramps
Without treatment, the combination of diarrhoea and vomiting
can cause a person to quickly become dehydrated and can go
into shock.
At risk areas
Sub Saharan Africa
South and south east Africa
The middle east
Central America
The Caribbean
Advice for travellers
Only drink water recently boiled or drink from a properly sealed
bottle.
TYPHOID FEVER
Typhoid fever is highly contagious. It is mainly passed through
stools (faeces). It can also be passed through food or water
contaminated with any amount of the faeces or urine with the
salmonella typhi bacteria in it.
Children and younger adults are more at risk. Scientists think
this may be because their immune systems are still developing.

Typhoid fever is uncommon in the UK. There is an estimated

500 cases occurring in the UK each year.
Symptoms
High temperature, 30-40 degrees Celsius (103-104
degrees Fahrenheit).
Stomach pain
Headache
Constipation or diarrhoea
Vomiting
If it is not treated it can become worse and may become
potentially fatal, causing complications to increase.
Complicated symptoms
(As well as symptoms above)
Internal bleeding
Digestive system/bowel splits open causing widespread
infection.

Treatment
If diagnosed early it is usually treated at home with a 7-14 day
course of antibiotics.
More serious cases
Admission to hospital and given prompt treatment, usually a
few days until you are better.
Serious complication
Death (but that is very rare, virtually unheard of in the UK. If it
is not treated an estimated 1-5 people die. If you do survive
you may have permanent physical or/and mental health
disabilities.

Vaccination
UK
There are 2 vaccines which can be given for protection;
A single injection or 3 capsules can be given over
alternate days. Neither offers 100% protection. It is
recommended for people travelling to widespread places
of typhoid fever.
Most at risk areas
Africa
Central America
The Indian subcontinent
The middle east
South America
South and south east Asia

Advice for travellers

Only drink water recently boiled or bottled and avoid potentially
contaminated foods. Make a list when travelling to a foreign
country, of relevant contact details and telephone numbers in
case of an emergency.
By Maisie Byron