Viral Infections
| Disease and Transmission | Microbial Agent | Sources of Agent in Water Supply | General Symptoms |
|---|---|---|---|
| SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) | Coronavirus | Manifests itself in improperly treated water | Symptoms include fever, myalgia, lethargy, gastrointestinal symptoms, cough, and sore throat |
| Hepatitis A | Hepatitis A virus (HAV) | Can manifest itself in water (and food) | Symptoms are only acute (no chronic stage to the virus) and include Fatigue, fever, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, weight loss, itching, jaundice and depression. |
| Poliomyelitis (Polio) | Poliovirus | Enters water through the feces of infected individuals | 90-95% of patients show no symptoms, 4-8% have minor symptoms (comparatively) with delirium, headache, fever, and occasional seizures, and spastic paralysis, 1% have symptoms of non-paralytic aseptic meningitis. The rest have serious symptoms resulting in paralysis or death |
| Polyomavirus infection | Two of Polyomavirus: JC virus and BK virus | Very widespread, can manifest itself in water, ~80% of the population has antibodies to Polyomavirus | BK virus produces a mild respiratory infection and can infect the kidneys of immunosuppressed transplant patients. JC virus infects the respiratory system, kidneys or can cause progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in the brain (which is fatal). |
Read more about this topic: Waterborne Diseases