Water sources and contamination hazards in Siaya County, Kenya 2018

Alongside scientific knowledge of hazards that may contaminate water sources, those living and working in rural sub-Saharan Africa may have detailed knowledge of potential contamination hazards and where they are located. Participatory mapping has been used as a component of the OneHealthWater project which aims to draw on that knowledge, to better understand geographic patterns of hazards that could contaminate water sources. The technique in this study involves working with small groups or individuals in 10 villages in Siaya County, who are then asked to map the domestic water sources and possible microbiological contamination hazards onto satellite imagery. The outputs may contribute to a better understanding of the potential hazards that may be found around rural water sources in sub-Saharan Africa and ultimately help to improve management of water safety.<p>Diarrhoeal disease and lack of access to safe water remain significant public health issues in developing countries. There is also growing concern about the potential for disease, including diarrhoeal infections, to be transmitted from livestock to humans. This project addresses the potential drinking-water contamination risks to human health in rural sub-Saharan Africa, where people and livestock often live in close proximity. Preliminary fieldwork will be carried out in rural Kenya, building on an ongoing study that is simultaneously recording human and livestock disease in ten villages. The fieldwork will test different techniques to identify contamination hazards from livestock, alongside water quality testing and recording of diarrhoea in children. These techniques will include the use of GPS collars to track cattle movements, maps of hazardous areas created by the communities themselves, and also checklists for recording signs of livestock hazards at water sources and around water stored in the home. We will look at how feasible it is to record hazards using these techniques. We will also statistically assess whether we find greater water contamination and greater diarrhoea in children where there are more recorded hazards.
Since measurement of water contamination used in such areas is based on bacteria found in both livestock and humans, the project will also work on affordable ways of testing for micro-organisms that are specifically found in livestock faeces versus those found in human faeces. If successful, such techniques could be used to investigate the importance of different sources of faecal contamination of drinking-water. This in turn could help manage the safety of rural water sources like wells and rainwater and better protect drinking-water stored in the home from contamination through livestock.
Because this complex problem requires a wide range of expertise, during the project we will strength our academic team to include more disciplines, particularly specialists in child health and social sciences. The tools for identifying hazards from livestock will be made widely available at the end of the project and UK expertise in the microbiological laboratory techniques will be shared with Kenyan collaborators. The experience gained will be used to build up contacts and develop a plan and team for a larger-scale study of livestock hazards, water contamination, and diarrhoeal disease risk in several countries.</p>

除了关于可能污染水源的危害的科学知识外，生活和工作在撒哈拉以南非洲农村地区的人们可能对潜在污染风险（potential contamination hazards）及其位置拥有详细的了解。参与式绘图（Participatory Mapping）已被用作OneHealthWater项目的组成部分，该项目旨在利用这些知识，更好地理解可能污染水源的危害的地理模式。本研究采用的技术包括与锡亚亚县（Siaya County）10个村庄的小型群体或个人合作，随后要求他们在卫星图像（satellite imagery）上绘制生活水源及可能的微生物污染风险（microbiological contamination hazards）。这些产出可能有助于更深入地了解农村水源周边存在的潜在风险，最终推动农村水安全管理的改善。

腹泻病（diarrhoeal disease）和缺乏安全饮用水仍是发展中国家重大的公共卫生问题。人们还日益担忧包括腹泻感染（diarrhoeal infections）在内的疾病从牲畜传播给人类的可能性。该项目旨在解决撒哈拉以南非洲农村地区饮用水污染对人类健康的潜在风险——这些地区的人与牲畜往往近距离共处。初步实地工作将在肯尼亚农村开展，基于一项正在进行的、同时记录10个村庄人类与牲畜疾病的研究。实地工作将测试多种技术以识别牲畜来源的污染风险，同时开展水质检测和儿童腹泻情况记录。这些技术包括使用GPS项圈（GPS Collars）追踪牛群活动、社区自行绘制的危险区域地图，以及用于记录水源和家庭储水设施周边牲畜风险迹象的清单。我们将评估这些技术在风险记录方面的可行性，并通过统计分析判断记录到更多风险的区域是否存在更严重的水污染及更高的儿童腹泻发生率。

由于此类地区的水污染测量通常基于牲畜和人类粪便中发现的细菌，该项目还将探索经济适用的检测方法，以区分牲畜粪便（livestock faeces）与人类粪便（human faeces）中特有的微生物（micro-organisms）。若该方法成功，可用于调查不同粪便污染源对饮用水的影响程度，进而帮助管理井水、雨水等农村水源的安全，并更好地保护家庭储水免受牲畜污染。

鉴于这一复杂问题需要广泛的专业知识支撑，项目期间我们将强化学术团队，纳入更多学科领域的专家，尤其是儿童健康（child health）与社会科学（social sciences）领域的专家。识别牲畜风险的工具将在项目结束后向公众广泛开放，英国在微生物实验室技术（microbiological laboratory techniques）方面的专业知识也将与肯尼亚合作者共享。项目积累的经验将用于建立合作网络，制定计划并组建团队，以便在多个国家开展关于牲畜风险、水污染及腹泻病风险的大规模研究。