Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health Commons^™

Drinking Water Quality And Human Dimensions Of Cholera Patients To Inform Evidence-Based Prevention Investment In Karonga District, Malawi, Prince Kaponda, Suresh Muthukrishnan, Rory Barber, Rochelle H. Holm

Faculty Scholarship

Cholera remains a problem in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in Malawi. Our aim was to investigate drinking water source quality compared with water treatment, risk perception and cholera knowledge for patients who had reported to a health center for treatment in the 2017-2018 outbreak in Karonga District, Malawi. The study analyzed 120 drinking water samples linked to 236 cholera patients. Nearly 82% of the samples met the national criteria for thermotolerant coliforms of 50 cfu/100 ml, while 50% met the more stringent World Health Organization criteria of 0 cfu/100 ml. In terms of the human dimensions, 68% of survey respondents reported …