An Epidemiological Study on the Effect of Water on Health in Tubas District

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between water quality and health among the inhabitance of Tubas district. In order to achieve our aims, the following strategies were used: examination of available patients records from local governmental clinics; a random sample of school children (seventh grade students) and a specially designed questionnaire distributed to households. Collected data were then analyzed using the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences). With respect to water related diseases, diarrhea was the most common disease, especially among students, followed by eye and skin diseases. There was a significant relationship between hygienic conditions and the place of residence and this was clear among the inhabitance of the village of Tammon. The percentage of water related diseases in Tammon area was the highest among the different areas as it reached 43.39%, then Tubas, and then Aqqaba. Although, a high level of wariness was reported regarding the knowledge of importance of water and health (79.7%), practices does not reflect that as most of the study population do not practice the cleaning of their water storage resources (63.7%), and only (15.8%) seems to boil water as a method for disinfection. Other practices such as lack of proper use of chlorine, raising of animal at homes and ways of collected rain water, all seems to indicate a high risk for water pollution. Reviewing patients files also seems to indicate that the area in general is suffusing from several health related problems. A significant relationship between water- related diseases and the following variables: Place of residence, quantity of available water for use, methods of water collection, public awareness, existence of toilets, the distance between toilets and water source, raising of animals at home, distance between water storage sources and sepses was observed. In conclusion, the area is suffering from several water related diseases and lack of proper water supply.