Omar Amahmid and Khadija Bouhoum
Describes a study designed to assess the health effect of the agricultural reuse of urban wastewater in a peri‐urban area of Marrakesh, by evaluating the impact of this practice…
Abstract
Describes a study designed to assess the health effect of the agricultural reuse of urban wastewater in a peri‐urban area of Marrakesh, by evaluating the impact of this practice on the transmission of two pathogenic protozoan infections – giardiasis and amoebiasis. The study was carried out on two child populations (608 individuals). The exposed group (321 children) came from the wastewater spreading area, while the non‐exposed group (287 children) came from a control peri‐urban area where surface water is used in irrigation. Results showed that, of the exposed group, 67 per cent of the examined persons were infected by giardiasis and/or amoebiasis, versus 26 per cent in the control zone. Concludes that the risk of infection rate attributable to reuse of waste water is about 41 per cent. This excess of parasitic infestation in the spreading zone may be related to wastewater reuse in agriculture, which creates a polluted environment.
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Fatima‐Zahra Lamghari Moubarrad and Omar Assobhei
This work evaluates the risk of wastewater in transmitting intestinal helminths to a population living near an urban effluent.
Abstract
Purpose
This work evaluates the risk of wastewater in transmitting intestinal helminths to a population living near an urban effluent.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is a copro‐epidemiological evaluation of the school‐age children of Sidi Daoui, a neighbourhood in the discharge area of the main sewer of the city of El Jadida and a control group from Sidi Moussa, a district far from the discharge area.
Findings
Intestinal helminths are more prevalent among the children of the study group of Sidi Daoui by 43 percent, compared with 20 percent in the control group, mainly caused by ascariasis and hymenolepiasis. Enterobiasis is an intestinal vermin present with similar expansion in both zones. Polyparasitism, which cannot be found in the control group, is 6 percent in the discharge area. A total of 22 percent of helminthiasis cases among these children are attributed to wastewater, in particular ascariasis (17 percent) and hymenolepiasis (11 percent). It was found that boys are the most vulnerable, mostly between the ages of seven to nine.
Originality/value
Provides some useful information concerning the risk of wastewater transmitting intestinal helminths.