Archive for category: Health

Information and stories on health topics.

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Sexual Health of Adolescents in the Developing World

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There are more than 1 billion teenagers worldwide. Seventy percent of them live in developing countries. According to the Demographic and Health Surveys and the AIDS Indicators Survey, the average age that young people in impoverished countries have their first sexual encounter is, at the lowest, age 16 or younger, and, at the highest, 19.6.

Just like in developed nations, with sexual activity comes the risk of sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies. Unlike wealthier nations, these impoverished countries lack adequate healthcare. In places such as Sub-Saharan Africa, AIDs is an epidemic. Two-thirds of those infected are adolescents.

Adolescent girls run the greatest risk for sexual and reproductive health threats. A young girl that becomes pregnant who lacks access to healthcare faces many serious health risks. Pregnancies, child-birth and abortions are all perilous. The likelihood that a 15-year-old girl in a developed nation could ultimately die of maternal complications is 1/3800. Compare this to just 1/150 in the developed world.

Meet Reem: she is a 15-year-old girl living as a refugee in a camp. Her two-month-old baby is underweight because it was born prematurely and because Reem was never taught how to breastfeed. She has no one to help her, her husband was killed before the baby was born, and her mother was separated from her in the national conflict.

In other instances, girls marry older men. Hibo is a 13-year-old girl living in a Somalian refugee camp. The oldest of five children, she is responsible for helping her mother care for the family. Her parents are planning to marry Hibo to a wealthy landowner that will bring the family much-needed money and honor. She has been told that it is her duty to marry, serve her husband, and bear him children.

Married women like Hibo are encouraged to have children as soon as possible. Their social status and identity are associated with raising children. Being childless is frowned upon. Unfortunately, wedding older men who have had previous partners bring the potential for STDs.

Young people also face the danger of sexual violence. A national survey in Swaziland revealed that one-third of girls aged 13-24 suffered sexual abuse before the age of 18. Boys face abuse as well but are reported as being less likely to reach out for help from healthcare providers.

Although young people are getting married at an older age, the amount of premarital intercourse is increasing. At the same time, contraceptive use for all teens is low. In Sub-Saharan Africa, contraceptives are used by a low of 3% of sexually active adolescents in Rwanda and a high 46% in Burkina Faso.

Due to the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals, more youth have greater access to formal education. Health officials decided that school-based sexual/reproductive health programs were the perfect way to educate adolescents. Yet, a survey of these programs and their effects have produced varied results. Not all adolescents attend school, and the funding for these programs is not always there.

The Save the Children organization understands that if there are no programs that specifically reach young people with sexual health programs and education, they will never access the care and knowledge they need. The organization has set up teen-accessible places to teach them about safe sex and offer health services.

Their methods and the continuation of school-based programs have been yielding promising results in places like Mexico, Nigeria and the Dominican Republic. Young people are taking more measures to prevent STDs and unwanted pregnancies.

– Lillian Sickler

Sources: Guttmacher Institute, Women and Children First (UK), Alliance for International Youth Development
Photo: The Times

The AIDS Crisis in Lesotho

AIDS_Crisis
Surrounded on all sides by its neighbor South Africa, the little country of Lesotho is the largest enclave in the world; larger than its only rivals Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City.

Essentially a landlocked island amidst African highlands, Lesotho also features the lowest point of any country in the world, measured at 1400 meters or 4,953 feet. However, it has another, less fortunate distinction; it places third on the list of countries with the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence.

In total, nearly one-quarter of the population lives with HIV, which accounts for 360,000 people. Close to 26,000 new HIV infections and 14,000 AIDS deaths were recorded in 2011. Of these infections, 40,000 are in children while around 60 percent of adults with HIV are women. On top of these harrowing figures, 42 percent who need treatment cannot access it.

Lesotho’s first reported incidence of HIV occurred in 1986 and accelerated rapidly into a national epidemic. While the government made attempts to monitor and treat the illness, the proved insufficient due to poor finances and infrastructure. Just six years later, in 1992, 3.2 percent of pregnant women between the ages of 20 and 24 had HIV. By 1996, the figures had exploded; in just four years, a quarter of the same demographic was living with HIV.

The sheer extent of this illness has had a detrimental impact on the development of Lesotho. The most productive age group in the country is also the most infected. This has compromised their ability to work and sustain themselves and their families.

For the Basotho people, family is vital. For centuries, extended relatives have supported one another through any hardship. However, AIDS/HIV has eroded this support system by orphaning 220,000 children. This has left children as the head of families in which the working generations are debilitated or have died.

One can notice the extent of the AIDS epidemic by looking at the data. It has significantly shortened the life span of the average Basotho to just 48.3 years from nearly 60 years in 1990.

Moreover, the two main statistics most indicative of development, GDP and the Under Five Mortality Rate have worsened. Since 1990, the Under Five Mortality rate has risen from 85 in 1000 to 100 in 1000. While from 1970 to 1990 the average annual growth rate of Lesotho stood at 3 percent, it fallen to 2.6 from 1990 to 2012.

With such a widespread influence throughout Lesotho, the nation’s government, along with international aid groups has made efforts to tackle the AIDS crisis. The first step was to provide universal testing for the entire country. Beginning in 2004, the program called “Know Your Status” involved training thousands of health care workers to perform swift HIV testing. However, the government has only trained one-quarter of the required workers, failing to meet its objective of universal coverage.

Besides testing, the government has implemented a variety of campaigns to confront the epidemic, but with mixed results. It introduced HIV/AIDS awareness to the curriculums of both primary and secondary schools. A ‘road show’ was also planned to inform communities about AIDS/HIV while providing both entertainment and HIV testing. Despite the efforts, only 29 percent of 15 to 24-year-old males and 29 percent of females from the same demographic had an understanding of HIV prevention.

Unlike awareness efforts, the distribution of cheap condoms has also served as an effective mainstay of HIV intervention in Lesotho. In 2001 affordable condoms began selling throughout communities. The sales spiked, with the number of distributors tripling and the number of condoms bought doubling.

In order to help those already infected with AIDS, the government has worked to provide better access to antiretroviral treatments. Since 2004 the government of Lesotho has sought to make antiretroviral treatment free to those in need. With only 89 trained medical professionals in the whole country, the program lagged behind at first. But since expansion in 2008 coverage has expanded to around 86,000 people, or close to 60 percent of those needing treatment. Still, only a quarter of children in need receive antiretroviral treatment.

While Lesotho has become closer to controlling its AIDS epidemic it has come at the cost of the nation’s development. Despite its aspirations, the country’s inadequate infrastructure, health care and budget have hindered its efforts. With more foreign assistance, Lesotho has the capacity to get back on its feet.

– Andrew Logan

Sources: Avert, CIA, PEPFAR, UNDP, UNICEF 1, UNICEF 2
Photo: NY Times

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Breeding Superbugs

SuperbugsResearchers have been tracking the increase of the global spread of antimicrobial-resistant infections, also known as superbugs. But the reason for this increase surprised the researchers — drug co-pays seem to have increased superbugs.

Superbugs are defined as “strains of bacteria that have changed (or mutated) after coming into contact with an antibiotic. Once this happens, these bacteria are ‘resistant’ to the antibiotic to which they have been exposed, which means the antibiotic can’t kill the bacteria or stop them from multiplying.”

Many individuals may suggest going back to a doctor and receiving a new prescription for a different antibiotic. But in the developing world, many individuals cannot afford the co-pays for multiple doctor visits, let alone the cost of multiple antibiotic prescriptions.

With the rising costs of prescriptions, many individuals are turning to informal or black markets for their prescriptions. The pills that they buy from black markets may be lower quality, prescribed inappropriately or dosed incorrectly. All of these factors can lead to the spread of superbugs.

According to an analysis of data from 47 countries published in the Lancet Infectious Disease Journal, the amount people spend out-of-pocket on healthcare has turned out to be a better predictor of antibiotic resistance than poverty, sanitation or livestock production.

In the first major report last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) has called antibiotic resistance “a growing public health threat.” This report, which tallied the level of antibiotic resistance in each country, warned that “many of the available treatment options for common infections in some settings are becoming ineffective.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, each year superbugs cause 2 million people in the United States to become sick, killing 23,000. With the advanced healthcare available in the United States, what effects do superbugs have on the developing world?

With the WHO report in mind, researchers from Stanford University in California and Gandhi Medical College & Hospital in India set out to determine whether the levels of resistance in low and middle income countries were linked to the direct healthcare costs that patients pay.

The researchers found that in countries where patients paid a higher share of healthcare costs, there was a higher level of antibiotic resistance. But this was also only evident in countries that charge co-payments for prescriptions.

While this data does not prove that higher prescription costs cause greater antibiotic resistance, it does show that the two are linked.

Co-payments are usually used to discourage people from seeking unnecessary healthcare but are currently having the opposite effect. With higher co-payments, patients that cannot afford the cost must look elsewhere for their prescriptions: the black market.

Not only are patients endangering themselves with unknown prescriptions and doses, but they are also enabling antibiotic resistance. There needs to be a change so that patients are able to receive needed antibiotics at a reasonable price. If not, antibiotic resistance will become a major problem in the future.

– Kerri Szulak

Sources: ABC Health & Wellbeing, Bloomberg Business
Photo: Live Science

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The Silver Standard for Eradicating Malaria

eradicating_malariaEvery minute, a child dies from malaria. 90 percent of the deaths from malaria occur in the poorest African countries. Malaria is a preventable, treatable disease, yet more than half of the world’s population continues to be at risk.

Malaria has long been established as a poverty-related disease. Poverty is both a cause and effect of this potentially lethal disease: poorer people can often not afford preventive measures, and the contraction of disease leads to further economic loss. Consequentially, a substantial investment of time and resources into finding a solution is necessary to interrupt this vicious cycle.

The most successful method to combat the problem has been vector control- that is, to eradicate the mosquito transfer agent. Traditionally, the efforts have been to implement better preventative measures, primarily through insecticides, which are both expensive as well as environmentally harmful.

A more modern approach to the problem is to employ biotechnology to eliminate the mosquito vector more economically and effectively. This encompasses targeting the mosquito at a subcellular level by using a cytotoxic agent- that is a chemical that disrupts the mosquito’s cellular machinery.

Of these methods, the use of silver nanoparticles is becoming increasingly popular as nanotechnology advances. Silver nanoparticles are miniscule, nanoscale pieces of silver, which is highly toxic at cellular levels. This toxicity is being explored in its usages as antimicrobial and pesticidal agent.

Silver nanoparticles are traditionally synthesized using laboratory-grade reagents, which tend to be expensive and not readily available. Many researchers are now looking to phytosynthesis as an answer. The process of phyto-synthesis manipulates the ability of plants to carry out reactions to use in chemical synthesis. For instance, the phytosynthesis reaction of plants can be alternatively used to reduce silver ions to silver atoms.

Recent endeavors to utilize the phytosynthesis capabilities of plants have centered on the use of plant waste products to maximize productivity and minimize cost. In a recent study, researchers used the husk of coconut plant- abundant in the tropical regions plagued by malaria. They used the husk of coconut, which is a waste product from the fruit, to synthesize silver nanoparticles from silver nitrate. The synthesis eliminated the use of a synthetic reagent, and achieved successful results.

The nanoparticles produced were then used by the researchers to treat larval Culex quinquefasciatus, a species of mosquitos found in sub-tropical regions which is similar to the malaria mosquito in its transmission mechanism. The nanoparticles were observed to have significant larvicidal effect on the mosquito.

The study indicates the great potential of phytosynthetic methods to produce cheap and effective insecticides. By using plants indigenous to the tropical areas where malaria is most prevalent, the insecticidal measures of prevention can be made more accessible to the people. The use of waste products of coconut in the process is considerably cost-effective and eco-friendly.

Although the implementation of these innovative techniques may be some way in the future, ingenuity in research offers promising new horizons for a better, healthier world. To borrow Einstein’s words, it is time our technology caught up with our humanity.

– Atifah Safi

Sources: WHO 1, WHO 2, Science Direct
Photo: Flickr

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How World Rowing Is Changing Poverty

How World Rowing Is Changing Poverty

Clean water is a very important part of people’s lives. However, for many poorer nations and communities around the world, access to clean water is limited. Some people have to travel for several miles just to find drinkable water. Many individual people and organizations have tackled this problem, but there is no singular solution to having clean water.

In 2011, World Rowing, the international organization, for rowing began a project with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to give to disadvantaged people the vital thing that makes the sport of rowing possible: water. The alliance began as a way to educate people about the importance of clean, fresh water, not just for humans but also for the environment.

WWF and World Rowing further developed this movement to find an area where water was endangered the most by various threats to water security. Some such threats include the effects of pollution, industry, agriculture, flooding, damming, hydropower, other ecosystems and human consumption. The resulting location was the lower water basin of the Kafue River in Zambia. This basin is a key area for economic resources, but it is also an important home to wetland wildlife and the main source of clean water for locals.

The issue at hand is how to reconcile the importance of the water basin with the harmful environmental effects. If people were to stop using it for industrial and agricultural purposes, the area would lose a large portion of its economic support, which could throw more people into poverty. However, if industry pollution and pesticides continue to contaminate the water, then there will be no safe drinking water.

The project has two goals that, if reached, can help end water insecurity and poverty. The first is to create a world-class water research center at the Kafue River Center. The center will team up with universities and researchers from around the world. Here they can study the effects of pollution, various ways to clean water, the balance of industry and wildlife and much more. The results found here will be open to the public, so that all water sources can benefit from the research.

The center’s second task is to provide a meeting place for all the people involved with this water project and other similar projects around the world.

While the project will do work to clean up the water in the Kafue Basin and provide cleaner water for the people, the research done at this center will help the world. It is a local project with a potentially global impact that can help solve the issue of water resources and poverty by finding a balance for all of the uses of water. The research here will hopefully solve the problems of water usage and water access, problems that keep people in poverty. It will be a balance that can provide sustainability and allow people to bring themselves out of poverty.

– Katherine Hewitt

Sources: World Rowing, World News
Photo: International Water Security Network

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The AIDS Crisis in Thailand

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When many think of places most devastated by the AIDS crisis, usually Sub-Saharan Africa first comes to mind. However, the disease also has spread to parts of South and Southeast Asia, where it is perhaps not as destructive, but still a major public health concern. Countries such as Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines and Sri Lanka all have rising rates of HIV/AIDS deaths. Thailand is particularly afflicted by this auto-immune disease. In total, nearly 500,000 people live with HIV/AIDs.

Mechai Viravaidya, the former politician and activist who first began the campaign to fight AIDS two decades ago, has become vocal once again. He claimed that “The government has fallen asleep at the wheel” and that HIV has become a health crisis in Thailand.

The figures seem to confirm his decree. HIV/AIDS remains the number one cause for premature death in Thailand and HIV infections are now rising. Since 2011, the number of AIDS-related deaths has also been rising.

The burden of the epidemic has fallen heavily on certain high risk groups. One such group is young people; those aged between 15 and 24 accounted for around 70% of the annual sexually transmitted HIV cases.

Among young people, certain minority and marginalized demographics are even more likely to contract HIV. In Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, the percentage of gay men with HIV has risen drastically. While in 2003 an already shocking 17% of homosexuals living in the city had HIV, by 2011 those figures had risen to nearly 30%.

Two more marginalized groups, intravenous drug users and migrant sex workers, are also vulnerable. Unlike their counterparts in brothels, informal, migrant sex workers do not receive information or health services that would help them to avoid contracting HIV. Those who inject drugs are likely to receive inadequate government support for their addictions; the Thai government will only provide addicts with 11 sets of clean needles a year compared to the 88 needles deemed necessary.

Yet, as bad as the crisis is now, it was once far worse. From 1991 to 2003, Thailand experienced a 90% decline in the number of HIV infections. This trend, until recently, had continued; while in 2005 the annual total of new infections was around 15,000, in 2013 it fell nearly in half to only 8,000. Much of this dramatic decline can be contributed to comprehensive awareness campaigns and the widespread dissemination of condoms throughout the sex industry.

So, then, why has this progress stagnated in recent years?

The answer lies in generational changes that have taken place over the past 20 years. The advent of smart phones and the expansion of social media on the Internet have allowed people to connect and have sex without having to meet in public places such as bars, where many of the awareness campaigns took place. This shows in the data; according to a UNAIDS report, “There is no clear sign of improvement in knowledge, condom use and STI among general population and youths on the national scale.”

AIDS was once the number one cause of death in Thailand when the epidemic was at its peak. Today AIDS is the fifth leading cause of death. With renewed efforts, hopefully it can fall even lower on that list.

– Andrew Logan

Sources: Bangkok Post, Trust, UNICEF, UNAIDS, Voice of America
Photo: Flickr

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Maternal Mortality in Zambia

Maternal_Mortality
Zambia is a landlocked country in southern Africa with a population of about 15 million. It borders Angola and the Democratic Republic of The Congo. One of the main health problems that Zambia faces is maternal mortality. However, in recent years the maternal mortality rate (MMR) in Zambia has declined.

In 1996, the MMR in Zambia was 649 per 100,000 live births. Although this number rose throughout the years, to a total of 729 per 100,000 births in 2002, by 2011, the MMR in Zambia had fallen to 591 per 100,000.

Hemorrhaging, or extensive bleeding, is one of the main causes of maternal mortality. Many women who give birth at home do not have the blood transfusions available to help them recover from the loss of blood, and some hospitals also do not have enough blood available to provide those transfusions. According to the United Nations Population Fund (NFPA), hemorrhaging accounts for 34 percent of maternal deaths.

The Population Reference Bureau reports that another main cause of maternal mortality in Zambia is obstructed labor, which is when the infant is not able to exit its mother due to its position or the size of its head. Obstructed labor can be solved by giving birth via C-section, but many people give birth at home and some hospital attendants are not able to perform the C-section needed for a safe delivery. 8 percent of the maternal deaths in Zambia are due to obstructed labor.

Infections due to unsanitary conditions during delivery also account for some of the maternal deaths which occur in Zambia. 13 percent of mothers die because of poor hygienic conditions during their delivery. Other causes of maternal mortality include complications from unsafe abortions and underlying causes such as malaria, anemia, HIV or cardiovascular disease, diseases that are aggravated during delivery.

Another problem is that many women are not able to go to a hospital and receive the help that they need. Only 47 percent of births in Zambia are attended by a skilled health worker. Urban women are more likely to have access to a hospital at the time of birthing. Women also choose to not go to a hospital because of traditional beliefs and customs, which promote home births and the use of traditional healing — such as the drinking of certain herbs that are supposed to help women deliver quickly. These herbs can cause vomiting and diarrhea and sometimes complicate the delivery.

Groups such as UNICEF and Saving Mothers; Giving Life (SMGL) are working to help lower the number of maternal deaths in Zambia. Saving Mothers; Giving Life is a group that works with the Zambian government and has a six-step plan they use to helping decrease the MMR. Firstly, they equip facilitates so that they are prepared to help women with complications receive care within two hours. They also work to increase the availability of drugs and equipment, train and mentor health professionals, promote better transportation to health facilities, improve data collection and help mobilize communities to increase demand for hospital births. Since 2011, they have been working in four districts in Zambia and have decreased the MMR in those districts by 35 percent.

UNICEF, according to their website, funds programs and interventions aimed at improving care for mothers and children. The government of the Republic of Zambia is also playing a large part in improving the MMR, as they have abolished user fees for maternal and child health services in order to grant larger access to such services.

All of these efforts have paid off, as shown by the dramatic success of Saving Mothers; Giving Life. However, in order to help continue to reduce MMR, programs such as those implemented by SMGL should be established throughout the entire country.

– Ashrita Rau

Sources: UNICEF, Saving Mothers, PRB, The CIA World Factbook
Photo: Flickr

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Ascariasis: A Major Health Problem in the Developing World

Ascariasis

Throughout the developing world, one kind of disease remains more common than any other: worms. In fact, according to The Huffington Post, recent figures have suggested that nearly every person residing in a developing country has some form of worm infection, due to the abundance of worm larva in soil all over the world.

While there are a variety of these infections, one in particular called ascariasis, or ascaris, has become so widespread that, according to the Center for Disease Control, it “account[s] for a major burden of disease worldwide.” In total, 807 million to 1.2 billion people around the world are infected with this parasitic illness, which is also classified as a neglected tropical disease.

It is caused by the consumption of its eggs, which reside in contaminated soil. This happens when fingers that have touched contaminated soil are put in the mouth or if produce has not been properly washed, cooked and peeled.

After ingestion, the eggs make their way to the intestine, where they hatch into larva. The freshly spawned larvae then wait to develop into fully mature worms. An adult female worm can grow up to around 30 cm in length while in the intestine, all while producing eggs that will then return to the soil via the host’s feces.

Upon reaching maturity, these adult worms wiggle through the intestinal wall and make their way towards their host’s lungs through the blood stream. This is where things get even more disgusting. Once near the lungs, they reside by the back of the throat, where they once again lay their eggs and continue the cycle.

Sufferers often do not experience any symptoms, but some of the most common signs of the disease are abdominal pain, coughing, difficulty breathing and fever. In more severe cases, excessive worm growth can cause intestinal blockages. As the worms migrate to the lungs, they are also one of the most common causes of Asthma in the developing world.

Ascariasis can stunt the growth of young children and this age group is also its most common target. When children play in the soil they expose themselves to risk of infection when putting their fingers in their mouths afterward. While usually not lethal, ascaris takes the lives of 60,000 annually, most of which belong to children.

In order to combat this disease, the World Health Organization and many other international aid organizations have attempted mass de-worming efforts. Using the two drugs albendazole and mebendazole, these groups have made progress by treating whole communities.

Another effective way of preventing ascaris does not involve drugs at all and instead relies on health education. These campaigns teach those in afflicted areas how to keep a sanitary kitchen and how to consume food safely, without the risk of catching the disease.

While treatment efforts are ongoing, less than 40 percent of the world’s children in need of treatment have not actually received any. This accounts for more than 850 million children worldwide and stands as one of the largest public health issues in the world. In order to improve the lives of millions, deworming campaigns must carry on.

– Andrew Logan

Sources: The Center for Disease Control, The Deccan Herald, The Huffington Post, The New York Times, The World Health Organization
Photo: Flickr

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Off-Grid Vaccine Refrigerators Improve Immunization

Immunization
Most vaccines are heat-sensitive and must remain in a cool, controlled environment. However, this is easier said than done when the vaccines must be transported over a great distance, arriving at a remote location with frequent power outages or no electrical grid at all.

Introducing the direct-drive solar refrigerators: a solar-powered fridge that keeps vaccines cool for long periods of time without relying on gas or kerosene. Off-grid refrigerators were introduced in the 1980s in areas without electricity, but recent technological improvements have made them more efficient and accessible than ever before.

The new technology, sponsored by PATH and the World Health Organization, has “direct drive” technology that uses the sun’s energy to freeze water, creating an ice “bank” that the fridge can tap into during the nights and cloudy days.

A direct-drive solar refrigerator could prove to be invaluable to developing countries. Immunizations would be more stable and more accessible, meaning people would get treated faster.

But the fridges are not the simplest of innovations—any given country will need a long-term plan upon making the initial investment for semi-regular maintenance and repair. On top of that, an experienced professional would have to install the fridge to ensure it is done correctly, and then train local technicians to maintain and repair them.

Despite the drawbacks, the direct-drive solar refrigerator is already working. In the Philippines, a solar refrigerator called the Sure Chill is storing vaccines for longer than previously possible, helping rebuild the cold chain infrastructure after the typhoon in 2014. The Sure Chill fridges uses solar and water power and can run without electricity for up to 10 days. These fridges have a big price tag, about $2,600 each, but are already proving to be extremely worthwhile.

– Hannah Resnick

Sources: Alternative Energy, Science Dev, WHO
Photo: Flickr

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Ingredients for Clean Drinking Water: Saltwater and a Car Battery

clean_drinking_water
As of 2013, around 738 million people across the world do not have access to clean drinking water. Of these people, an approximate 8 million die as a consequence of this inaccessibility.

Water is the paramount need for all human being. Sanitation of this water is vital for preventing many water-borne diseases that can potentially be fatal. Despite the development of new methodologies to sanitize water, the process of chlorination remains unparalleled in its prevalence and efficiency.

The process of chlorination, as the name suggests, uses chlorine gas or bleach to purify water. Chlorine gas is highly toxic and an effective antimicrobial agent. Chlorine also remains in water through longer periods of time than its alternatives. This reduces the costs of repeated purifications.

Despite these advantages that put chlorination far ahead of its counterpart purification methods, it is still difficult to successfully utilize this technique in developing countries. Chlorine gas and its derivatives – such as bleach – are highly reactive and can be dangerous in excessive quantities. The chlorine gas is sold compressed in cylinders, and its pressure requirements change in accordance with the water source to be chlorinated. Hydraulic equipment necessary for safe chlorination is not always accessible in remote areas.

These safety considerations pose a dilemma for the safe sanitation of drinking water. Recently, Mountain Safety Research (MSR), an outdoor gear manufacturer, collaborated with an NGO to release an innovative solution to the problem.

Their device, Smart Electrochlorinator or SE200, uses saltwater and a car battery to produce a carefully-calculated amount of chlorine gas. It consists of a canister that attaches to a battery through jumper cables. The canister is filled with salt solution, and the dissolved salt is dissociated into ionic chloride ions.

The ions are then converted into bleach electrochemically. The hydrogen gas produced from the battery reacts with the chloride ions to form perchlorate, or bleach. The added advantage of the device is in its specificity – it is designed to calculate and produce specific amounts of chlorine per gallon of water. This maintains the concentration of chlorine in water at a constant level and within safe ranges.

The chlorinator is lightweight and portable, which is important in smaller remote areas. It can purify up to 20 liters in a meager 5 minute interval. The device is also notably energy efficient: a 12 volt battery can be used to generate enough chlorine to purify 400,000 liters of water.

The device has so far been tested successfully in field operations in Kenya, Mali, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Thailand. It is especially noted for its feasibility in small population communities, where large-scale sanitation does not reach and household purification is a hassle. The chlorination is relatively inexpensive as well: at around US$200, it can provide a clean supply of water for 200 people for a period of five years.

As with any new technology, there are issues with this device as well. As it is designed for use in remote areas, it is questionable as to how technical issues might be dealt with. Any of the maintenance issues needing to be fixed can seriously jeopardize a steady supply of clean water. Moreover, in spite of pictorial instructions, there is always the danger for misuse. These are some of the issues that need to be fine-tuned for the chlorinator’s effective usage.

Despite the issues that need to be resolved, the chlorinator is undoubtedly an innovative initiative in the provision of clean drinking water to each and every human being in the world.

– Atifah Safi

Sources: CDC 1, NPR, Cascade Designs, CDC 2
Photo: Flickr