Contributing Factors to Getting Dysentery

Dysentery is an infection of the bowel. It is characterized by diarrhea, perhaps with the presence of blood or pus. The person may also complain of stomach cramps, fever, aches and pains, and nausea. This condition is particularly prevalent in hot countries, and where clean water and good sanitation are not present. There are two main forms: bacillary and amoebic. In bacillary dysentery, an organism called shigella enters through the mouth and multiplies in the bowel. In the amoebic type, there may be more blood in the stool and the organism can linger in the bowel for a longer period of time.

Poverty

• Poverty is a main contributor to dysentery worldwide. Overcrowding typically occurs where there is lack of money, leading to a high incidence of person-to-person infection. Poverty may also mean that people are usually not educated and are unable to read. Therefore, they are not informed about the importance of good food and personal hygiene practice.

Water

• Lack of clean water is responsible for most of the preventable deaths in the world. Not washing the hands after using the toilets is the main way dysentery is spread from person to person. For many people in the world, hand-washing after using the toilet is not even possible. They lack hot water, towels and soap. Lack of clean drinking water also causes spread of dysentery and other infectious conditions. People visiting poor countries are often advised to beware of drinking the water, and also eating foods, such as salads which may have been washed in dirty water.

Poor Hygiene

• Poor hygiene may be a result of many factors. The most obvious is a lack of basic washing facilities. People may be unaware of the importance of maintaining good hygiene. Also, for people who are facing war, disease and lack of basic resources on a daily basis, good hygiene practice might not be high on their agenda.