St Thomas residents to treat water used for domestic purposes
THE South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) yesterday urged residents of St Thomas to treat water that is used for domestic purposes, especially water collected from untreated sources.
The health authority’s advice came two days after Jamaica Labour Party caretaker for St Thomas Eastern, Delano Seiveright, said there was an increase in the number of complaints from residents falling ill because of the unclean water they have been consuming.
Seiveright said residents, including children, on a daily basis, walked for miles to access water at several sources. He noted that some of the sources were unclean, in part due to unhygienic practices where persons are accessing water for drinking, cooking, cleaning and bathing all at the same time.
He added: “Over the last two to three weeks I have observed a big increase in the number of people complaining of having diarrhoea, upset stomach, abdominal discomfort, bloating and other medical issues. A big part of the problem I think too is that people simply not washing their hands and are not drinking clean water,” said Seiveright, who also urged residents to boil water for consumption purposes and pay better attention to hygiene.
“Only treated water should be used for drinking or making drinks, washing fruits and vegetables, making ice, preparing food and washing dishes and utensils in order to prevent water borne illnesses and maintain good health. Hand washing with treated water is also essential prior to all the above mentioned activities,” SERHA said in a release yesterday.
In the meantime, the health authority said a review of surveillance data for the past five weeks reveals no increase in gastroenteritis cases in the parish of St Thomas. Gastroenteritis can be caused by the consumption of unclean water, especially during periods of drought.
The St Thomas Health Department, which is responsible for public health services, surveillance and regulation in the parish, meanwhile, said it will continue its surveillance activities as well as health promotion and water quality monitoring to ensure the health of the residents in parish.
