CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Water is purely a basic necessity in the life processes of both plants and animals. According to Femi (1971:83) water is found in all things and it is absolutely essential for life on earth. All the chemical reactions that happen inside plants and animals take place in a solution where water is the solvent.

Therefore, the problem of lack of good water supply imposes a serious threat to the proper functioning of organisms or even death in most places where there is an acute shortage or poor water supply system. The problem of lack of good water supply has been a band in Isuikwuato Local Government Area as was clearly eminent in the year 2010.

This happened around the month of February up to the first quarter of 2010 when the community experienced drought. This drought resulted in a shortage of agricultural products as a result of infectious diseases. This is why I felt is my profound concern to carry out research into an area that would have nearly brought calamity to the entire people of Isuikwuato.

Health as it is said is wealth. Therefore, a healthy mind goes with a healthy body and that gives the bearer of such a system the freedom to think logically constructively and in terms of invention, the mind and body would have an optimum level of ability to perform.

But where one is sick or down the system becomes disorganized and this goes to affect everything about him including his ingenuity. Based on this reason, it is better to take care of your health before other things.

The organism is said to be sick when it is in one way or the other having a problem with health, Pream (1974). This problem is what is referred to as a disease’s situation. It is on this basis that Abram (1975) defined disease as “a deviation from normal health condition”. It could also be defined as an illness or sickness which has the ability to cause poor functioning of the body system, Shunyochi (1992).

Also, the Standard Dictionary (International Edition) defined disease to be an abnormal structure or physiological action in the living organism as a whole or in any of its parts. On the other hand, the Oxford Advanced Dictionary (1948) defines disease as an illness, disorder of the body or mind of animals or plants.

A disease could be an epidemic if it has the ability to spread very rapidly within a given period and within a certain location. It is said to be endemic if it is confined to a particular location like cholera can be said to be endemic in the Northern parts of Isuikwuato Local Government Area, as well as Guinea worm is endemic in Adun clan.

It can also be said to be pandemic if it has the ability to spread all over the world within a short or long period of time.

Based on the importance attached to the health of her citizens, it has been observed that a greater portion of a country’s budget is usually earmarked for the health sector.

For example, in 1946, the congress of the USA enacted the national mental health act and created the national institute of mental health as part of the US Public health service. This institute is designed to provide more knowledge about the causes, treatment, and prevention of mental illness and to ensure the effective use of existing knowledge in treatment and prevention.

Also, a federal law passed in 1948 by the British Government authorized the public health service to undertake a comprehensive programme for the abatement and control of water pollution and for the conduct and support of technical research relating to improve methods of treatment of industrial wastes. A staggering 22,600 Dollar a year was earmarked for the construction of sewage treatment plants.

Generally, the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) which has also Nigeria Red Cross Society is jointly pursuing a program for the maintenance of good health among member countries and Nigerian public.

Other organizations such as the United Nations Organization (UNO), the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), etc are all committed to people’s health.

All of these organizations have their primary aim as:

1. Strengthening natural health services,
2. Fighting to eradicate major diseases

• Training of staff

1. Protecting material and child health
2. Improve sanitation and water supply.

Although the Isuikwuato Local Government has been spending huge sums of money in undertaking the Iyami Health Care Development Centre (I.H.C.D.C.), the complete eradication and achievement of public health culture is yet to be fully accomplished. This could either because of the incomplete utilization of the materials or due to an unlawful evacuation of these items to unknown destination.

It is on this view that Godman (1962:70) said that the advice that was given by the World Health Organization (WHO) is useful to local health authorities in their attempts to reduce the incidence of diseases.

Better knowledge of the uses of sanitation has also helped to reduce disease. The study of water pollution, disease vectors and improvement in the methods of dealing with those vectors will practically reduce the incursion of many known diseases in some areas.

Statement of the problem

The epidemic-like situation that happen around 2009 and 2010 brought fear into the minds of people; the untimely death of sometimes two to three persons in a household required a thorough investigation into their causes.

According to some medical experts who came on 16th March 2009 to deliver a lecture on self-help projects and the prevention of cholera, the incessant death is attributing to a lack of adequate source of drinking water.

A typical example was the case of Ghana Village the relied on small streams that dry up during the dry season; that this, water was greatly infected by water-borne diseases, which according to them if adequate measures were not taken more deaths would be experienced in the communities.

These situations, therefore, call for the need to find out the remote causes and effects associated with water-borne diseases in Isuikwuato Local, Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria.

Purpose of the study

The purpose of the research study is to identify some problems or effects of water-borne disease in Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Cross River State and its environment.

This work among other things will also help to look for the origin and causes of water pollution in the area. This study will also investigate the extent to which water-borne disease has affected the people of this community.