Reduction in diarrhoea rates after household water filter distribution in small and remote communities in Liberia

Abstract

AbstractDiarrhoea is the second-leading cause of death in Liberia, a sub-Saharan African country of 4.8 million people, with a majority living in rural villages. Diarrhoea has often been linked with poor water quality and malnutrition. Three organisations partnered to distribute point-of-use (POU) water filters to every household in Liberia without other access to safe water, documenting the distribution of filters to 101,706 households. Each such household was surveyed at a baseline, two weeks, and eight weeks. In addition to household characteristics, the prevalence of diarrhoea was reported at each survey. Our goal was to determine the extent of the impact that POU filter use had on diarrhoea prevalence by age group, controlling for effects of water source, location, and household size. Overall, there was a 94.2% decrease in diarrhoea cases from baseline to the 8-week follow-up. We discuss the success of the intervention in decreasing diarrhoea prevalence. The filter distribution focused on reaching remote villages, and providing access to clean water where there was none before. This study confirms that community-wide access to clean drinking water can reduce diarrhoea prevalence.

Keywords

• diarrhoea
• Liberia
• POU filter
• clean water