Contaminated drinking water poses serious health risks, especially for children. Some common illnesses transmitted through unclean water include:

• Cholera - Bacterial infection causing severe diarrhea and dehydration.

• Typhoid fever - Caused by Salmonella bacteria, leads to high fever, stomach pains, headache.

• Dysentery - Diarrheal disease from bacteria like Shigella, provoking stomach cramps, bloody stool.

• Guinea worm disease - Parasitic worms burrow out through the skin causing painful lesions.

• Hepatitis A - Viral infection transmitting through food/water causing liver inflammation.

These waterborne diseases can be avoided by utilizing clean water for drinking, cooking, washing, and bathing. Here are tips to prevent exposure:

• Drink only from safe, treated water sources. Avoid unboiled surface water.

• Wash hands frequently with soap, especially before eating.

• Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly with purified water.

• Only eat cooked foods, avoid raw foods rinsed in tap water.

• Ensure latrines and sewage systems safely separate waste from water sources.

• Use water filters like biosand to remove pathogens from uncertain supplies.

• Disinfect water by boiling, chlorination, solar irradiation, or UV treatment.

Following basic hygiene and treating water effectively blocks transmission of these hazardous illnesses. We aim to make such preventive measures accessible in every community worldwide. Let us know your questions on waterborne diseases and prevention.