With the threat of Covid-19, aka mutated coronavirus spreading like wildfire everywhere, the entire world is in a state of panic. The good news is that the infamous virus is not yet found to be residing in drinking water, but the bad news is that there are far more dangerous infections that can be contracted via impure drinking water in the US. In fact, some of them are the leading causes of death across the entire world.
Vibrio Vulnificus (Flesh-Eating Bacteria)
The stuff of nightmares that lives up to its well-deserved reputation is vibrio vulnificus, aka, flesh-eating bacteria. To help the reader understand the severity of contracting this infamous microbe, we have listed the following facts about it.
- Vibrio vulnificus causes necrotizing fasciitis; a highly fatal condition caused by the bacteria’s nasty flesh rotting and eating habits!
- A single open wound of the smallest size can let it in
Avoid saltwater lakes, clean out your pool water, and install new filters right after a storm blows over
Parasitic Cysts
A potentially life-threatening and quite painful disease by the name of Giardia is caused by the parasitic cysts of, well, giardia intestinalis! There is actually another one of these parasites that cause nearly identical symptoms, which goes by the name of cryptosporidium. Both of these two bad boys are primitive lifeforms known as protozoa, and if they manage to infect anyone via contaminated water or fecal matter, the following symptoms are expected.
- Consequent dehydration
- Watery diarrhea and vomiting multiple times a day
- Complete loss of appetite
- Moderate to high fever
- Rapid weight loss
- Cramps and pain in and near the abdominal region
- Constant nausea
The infection can be prevented easily by always filtering drinking water with a properly certified water filter (one that can kill parasitic cysts) and adding your own level of protection to it.
Naegleria Fowleri
Finally, we have a rare, but the most deadly amoeba known to man, aka the highly dreaded naegleria fowleri. Infection is rare and like the flesh-eating bacteria, it is contracted from swimming in lakes. The positive outlook regarding this brain-eating amoeba is that it cannot infect humans via any other means except through the nose. Unfortunately, in nearly five decades, only four people have survived in recorded history, post-infection. The worst part is that it is completely unaffected by antibiotics that would cure bacterial meningitis. Naegleria fowleri has all the same symptoms as the bacterial menace, leading the medical teams down the wrong path until it’s just too late.
Most, if not all of the diseases mentioned here have the potential to kill their hosts, and they are far more deadly than Covid-19 is. It doesn’t matter where you are or who you are, it’s never a good idea to drink unfiltered water or swim in lakes, because microbes, like the bad news that they are, never really announce themselves before entering at will.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
