Microbial Risk Assessment of Treatment Reduction Guidelines

Principal Investigator

Joseph Eisenberg

Co-Principal Investigator

Kara Nelson

Funding Sources

Vestergaard Frandsen

About this Project

This study involves modifying a previously published household-level disease transmission model that examines the public health benefits of water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions. The household-level model includes multiple pathways of transmission that enteric pathogens exploit to infect individuals. Transmission through these pathways can be reduced by interventions that improve water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions. Currently, the transmission pathways are abstracted and do not correspond to specific interventions. We will modify the model to examine disease reduction for point-of-use (POU) water treatment devices that provide varying levels of treatment. POU devices that provide "6-4-3" treatment (defined as 6-log removal of bacteria, 4-log removal of viruses, and 3-log removal of protozoan cysts) based on laboratory testing will be compared with POU devices that provide lower levels of treatment. We will examine the disease reduction for these POU interventions in a range of settings that differ in other factors that may impact disease transmission, (e.g., household hygiene practices, type of sanitation, etc.). Whenever possible, model inputs will be based on field data. Outcomes of this work will include recommendations for POU treatment levels that maximize health benefits, as well as recommendations for future research to improve our understanding of the health impact of household water treatment.