Procedures to Investigate Waterborne Illness

Humanity could not survive without a reliably clean, safe, and steady flow of drinking water. Since the early 1900s when typhoid fever and cholera were frequently causes of waterborne illness in developed countries, drinking water supplies have been protected and treated to ensure water safety, quality, and quantity. Having access to safe drinking water has always been one of the cornerstones of good public health. Not only safe water is limited to drinking water, but recreational water can also be a source for waterborne illness—both from treated waters such as in swimming pools, whirlpools, or splash pads and from non-treated surface waters such as lakes, rivers, streams and ponds. Recreational waters may cause illness not only from ingestion of pathogens, but also when in contact with eyes, ears, or skin. Some pathogens in water can be acquired by inhalation of aerosols from water that is agitated or sprayed such as in humidifiers, fountains, or misting of produce. This poses a potential risk to those exposed, particularly if they are immunocompromised.