Sanitation for All...in 115 Years Sanitation for All...in 115 Years By Fabiana Frayssinet. Read full article here.
Sanitation - a service the great majority of people largely take for granted - remains unavailable to a majority of the Brazilian population according to a new report. The Instituto Trata Brasil (ITB), a non-governmental organization, estimates that only 47% of the population is currently connected to the main sewage system; universal coverage will likely be achieved in 2122, 115 years from now.
Unlike improvements in garbage collection and electricity distribution, efforts to overhaul the country's moribund sewage network have been sluggish at best - contributing to a stubbornly high mortality rate among children under six from infectious diseases such as diarrhea. Indeed, the report notes that the lack of sanitation has caused about 700,000 yearly hospital admissions over the past decade; the ITB notes that for every real ($0.57) invested in sanitation, the equivalent of $2.28 could be saved on health spending.
Mosquito-borne diseases like dengue fever and malaria are prevalent in Brazil. Insect repellent and protective clothing is essential. Malaria exists below 2,953ft (900m) in most rural areas, and outbreaks of dengue fever occur frequently. A yellow fever vaccination is recommended for those traveling to rural areas and other parts of the country as a yellow fever outbreak occurred at the beginning of 2008. Visitors traveling from infected areas outside the country require a yellow fever certificate.
Chagas disease, caused by a parasite, is widespread in rural areas of Brazil. Until recently infection was believed to be from insect bites only, but an outbreak in March 2005 caused three deaths in Santa Catarina and was traced to the ingestion of sugar cane juice contaminated with the faeces of vector insects, and further cases were linked to the ingestion of bacaba wine from roadside stalls; visitors are advised to seek medical advice urgently if any of the symptoms occur (fever, nausea, muscle aches and pains and/or swelling at the site of the insect bite). Tap water is heavily treated resulting in a strong chemical taste; bottled water is, however, freely available for drinking purposes. Milk in rural areas is not pasteurized. Travelers are advised to take along medication for travelers' diarrhoea. Hospitals in the major cities are fairly good, but medical costs are high and medical insurance is strongly recommended.
In 2009 , in Para, there had been 180 cases of Chagas disease. It seems that this outbreak is related to consumption of contaminated acai that is produced and distributed within the metropolitan area of the capital. The prosecution follows the laboratory to make the diagnosis. Apparently the lack of hygiene is the cause of this public health problem in the region. In other words Chagas's disease attacks the digestive tract and can cause inflammation in the heart and brain. In general, the barber infected by parasites transmitted disease through feces. In the case of acai, she takes orally. According to the Instituto Evandro Chagas, Para, the insect is crushed along with acai on machines that separate the pulp from the seed. And the person ends up eating the contaminated fruit. Detail: freeze the pulp does not eliminate the parasite, says the State Department of Health This risk is not eliminated by pasteurization, says the institute. Interesting. Chagas had previously been associated with contaminated cane juice, now acai juice. This really highlights the general risk from consumption of raw juice, especially if it is processed in a careless manner as it is in Brazil.