ABSTRACT

BACTERIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF WATER AMONG COMMUNITIES WITH

RECURRENT CHOLERA OUTBREAKS IN ARUA DISTRICT
2015
Author: Tino Mary Gorrety Abrahams
Affiliation to Makerere University School of Public Health
gorrethabrahams@gmail.com

BACKGROUND: Around the globe, diarrheal diseases cause millions of preventable deaths
each year yet water quality is an important component in the control and prevention of diarrhoeal
diseases. OBJECTIVE: To assess the bacteriological quality of water and its determinants with
the intent of generating possible control measures.
METHOD: Descriptive cross sectional study was used. A total of 360 households were
randomly sampled and 125 water sources were purposively selected. The water samples were
125 from the water sources, 334 from drinking water storage containers and 294 from other
domestic water storage containers; a total of 753 water samples were collected for
bacteriological analysis. The Chi-square test and logistic regression were used for analysis.
RESULTS: This study revealed that total coliforms and thermotolerant coliforms were present
in the water samples, 83.83%(280/334) and 61.68%(206/334) respectively in drinking water
storage containers compared to 64.63%(190/294) and 50.68%(149/294) respectively in other
domestic water storage containers. Water sources had 50.4%(63/125) total coliforms and
36.0%(45/125) thermotolerant coliforms. However, the mean coliform counts in terms of colony
forming units (cfu) were highest in other domestic water storage containers, 184.45cfu/100ml
(SD 316.230) total coliforms and 135.38cfu/100ml (SD 280.966) thermotolerant coliforms than
in drinking water storage containers 127.49cfu/100ml (SD 203.881) total coliforms and
80.84cfu/100ml (SD181.742) thermotolerant coliforms. They were lowest in water sources,
96.33cfu/100ml (SD 227.214) total coliforms and 57.85cfu/100ml (SD 202.123) thermotolerant
coliforms. For every unit increase in coliforms in the water source, the log odds of total
coliforms in other domestic water storage containers increased by 2.473 (p<0.001) and
thermotolerant coliforms by 5.906 (p<0.001). Narrow neck drinking water storage containers
were negatively associated with total coliforms (adj r=-0.534, p=0.023). Scooping practice was
negatively associated with both total coliforms (r=-0.570, p=0.001) and thermotolerant coliforms
(adj r=-0.547, p=0.027) coliforms.
CONCLUSION: Water quality is a major problem in communities with recurrent cholera
outbreaks in Arua district. The quality is affected by type of water storage containers, scooping
practice, type of water source, distance from water source, sanitation and hygiene.