The Current State Of HIV/AIDS IN GHANA AND Antiretroviral TREATMENT.

Pure water Safety

Pure water safety                                       Sachet Water Syndrome 

                                             (Pure water)

Article written by: Dr. Francis Cash Kutin, 
Agona Duakwa.

What is sachet water ?
Sachet water is packaged sealed water in 500mL polyethylene plastic bags which heat-sealed on either end. The sachet water has become the primary source of drinking water in part of global south and popularly in Africa.

Source of the water for production of sachet water
Most of the Sachet Water Companies source water from the well, borehole, pipes, ocean, rivers and stored water in poly-tanks for production. Different water sources have different purity levels. Hygienic factors and environmental pollution turn to affect purity of the source of water. Prior to packaging, the water goes through a number of treatment processes, mainly filtration in an attempt to make it cleaner and safer for consumption.

Is it good to drink sachet water (pure water)?
A person can survive for about a month without food, about a week without water and less than five minutes without air, constitute the three main necessities of life. 
Many studies have been done since sachet water was discovered in 1994 by Brattleboro Vermont, for the world works in remote and undeserved regions of the developing countries that lack sustainable clean safe drinking water. Most pure water is not safe for drinking. Sachet water have been reported to contain bacteria such as Bacillus sp.,pseudomonas sp and oocysts of Cryptosporidium sp. The quality packaged of water assessed in Ghana showed some level of microbial contamination. The results of the study indicated that bottled water has lower microbial load than sachet water. E. Coli, clostridium perfringens spore and fecal streptococcus were the most common isolated microbe from the package water.
Microbial Research done and published online 2019 by National Library of Medicine

   “(https://www.idexx.com/pdf/en.us./water/qt97mpntable.pdf).

Does drinking pure water causes Typhoid ?
Typhoid is a bacteria infection that can spread throughout the body, affecting many organs, it can cause serious complications and can be fatal. People who drink contaminated water or eat food washed in contaminated water can develop typhoid fever. Coalition Against Typhoid in Ghana estimated that Ghana is a typhoid-endemic country. The Global Burden of Disease study estimated that in 2017, there were at least: 69506 typhoid cases, 973 typhoid deaths and 88,981 disability-adjusted life-years lost to typhoid. The findings of this investigation showed that a large percentage of the popular sachet-packed water is microbiological unsafe for human consumption, constituting potential health risk, and this can be linked to the increasing incidence of typhoid fever among other food and water-borne infections

Conclusion:

Government must be determined to increase resource allocations to relevant regulatory agencies to ensure adequate monitoring and enforcement of production, transportation and storage of sachet water in Ghana.

 Reference: 

1. African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development

Microbiology Department, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta P.M.B 2240.

Pure water syndrome: Bacteriological Quality of Sachet Packed drinking Water Sold in Nigeria.

2.WHO. Toxicological Evaluation of Certain Food Contaminants. 28th Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, 1984: WHO Food  Additives Series No. 19. World Health Organization, Geneva.  

The Emergency Contraceptives and its' side Effects.

 

What is Emergency Contraceptive Pills ?

Is an oral emergency contraceptive. It may help to prevent a pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sexual intercourse or failure of a contraceptive method. EC Pills contains a synthetic luteal hormone-like active substance, Levonorgestrel.

 

When can EC pills be used and how effective is the preparation?

It can be used on emergency situation only on any day or hours and it is suitable as an emergency measure.Emergency Contraceptive Pill does not prevent a pregnancy in every instance. It has been estimated that EC Pill prevent 85% of expected pregnancies.

Efficacy appears to decline with time after intercourse 95% within 24 hours, 85% between 24 and 48 hours , 58% if used between 48 and 72 hours. Efficacy after 72 hours is unknown.

If you are uncertain about the timing of unprotected intercourse or if you have had unprotected sex more than 72 hours earlier in the same menstrual cycle, conception may have occurred. Treatment with EC Pill following the second act of intercourse may therefore be ineffective in preventing pregnancy. EC Pill is not effective as a conventional regular method of contraception, you should consider long term methods of contraception such as contraceptive implant (lasts up to 3 years) or IUS (up to 5 years) or IUD, also called coil (5 to 10 years)

 

When should EC Pill not to be taken

Emergency Contraceptive Pill should not be taken in case of Hypersensitivity to any of the ingredients of the preparation and when there is evidence of conception.

 

Special warnings and precautions for the use EC Pills.

If pregnancy occurs after treatment with EC Pill, the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy should be considered. The use of EC Pill should be considered in patients with severe hepatic dysfunction.

Severe malabsorption diseases such as Chron’s disease, might impair the efficacy of EC Pill.

Repeated administration within a menstrual cycle is not advisable because of the possibility of disturbance of the cycle.

Notice: after you have taken the EC Pill , it is important that you make an appointment to see your doctor to ask him or her about regular methods of contraception that are suitable for you.

Medicines that limit the efficacy of the EC Pills: concomitantly may enhance the metabolism of the active ingredient of the preparation, may include; medicines to treat epilepsy, fungal infections, antibiotics, as well as herbal medicines containing St. John’s Wort.

 

Does Administration of Emergency Contraceptive Pill causes Menstrual Changes ?

.According the packages insert, it can causes changes to your menstrual cycle such as heavy flow or lighter bleeding or getting your menses earlier or later than normal. If your menses is late by more than 5 days or you have it at the normal time, it is abnormal or if you suspect pregnancy, feeling sick nausea, vomiting, breast tenderness etc, you should contact your doctor.

 

Is it safe to take Morning After Pills or Plan B or Emergency Contraceptive Pills Regularly ?

You can take EC Pill more than once a month, but we do not recommend using it as a main form of birth control, not only because you will have have irregular cycles.

There is no evidence that taking the morning after pill, even in multiple times, will affect your fertility in the future or make your womb infertile.

 

World Health Organization: recommendations for provision of emergency contraception

All women and girls at risk of an unintended pregnancy have a right to access emergency contraception and these methods should be routinely included within all national family planning programs. Moreover, emergency contraception should be integrated into health care services for populations most at risk of exposure to unprotected sex, including post-sexual assault care and services for women and girls living in emergency and humanitarian settings.