What Makes Water Unsafe?
Water is unsafe when it contains germs, worms, or toxic chemicals. Germs (tiny living things, too small to see, that cause many kinds of illness) and worms, such as whipworm, hookworm, and roundworm, cause many serious illnesses. Germs and worms live in human and animal waste (urine and feces) and can cause serious and long-lasting illnesses when:
• there is not a good way to get rid of human and animal wastes.
• water supplies are not protected and kept clean.
• there is not enough water to wash.
Some of the illnesses they cause, such as cholera, spread quickly and can cause many deaths. Other illnesses from germs and worms can cause years of sickness and lead to other health problems such as dehydration, infections, anemia (weak blood), and malnutrition. Because the most common sign of illnesses from germs and worms is diarrhea, these illnesses are sometimes called diarrhea diseases.
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