IMPACT OF CHLORINATION OF WATER IN DOMESTIC STORAGE TANKS ON CHILDHOOD DIARRHEA - A COMMUNITY TRIAL IN THE RURAL-AREAS OF SAUDI-ARABIA

During the period September 1991 to February 1992 standard chlorinatio n packages of calcium hypochloride were provided for the first time to 171 families residing in the catchment area of the Sabt-Bany Bishr Pr imary Health Care Centre in the rural areas of the Asir region, south- western Saudi Arabia. The villagers added the packages to their home s torage water tanks each time they added water from the 220 nearby well s. Analysis of the water samples taken from these wells showed that al l of them were bacteriologically unfit for human use. By the end of th e study period there were no bacteriologically unfit water samples tak en from the tanks of the participating families. Children under 5 year s of age whose families were not using chlorinated water had twice the risk of diarrhoea compared to children from the participating familie s (odds ratio=1.98, P=0.047). The use of chlorinated water was associa ted with a 48% reduction in diarrhoea. These results indicate that the chlorination of water can be successfully carried out locally in rura l areas to improve the health of the population.