We will talk a little about the medical field to understand more about pathogenic bacteria and viruses found in drinking water. Knowing more about the simple terms and cycle of pathogenic bacteria and viruses will give us a clear picture of what they are and how it occurs.
A pathogen is an infectious agent. Pathogens are biological agents that cause illness to their host. A host is a susceptible animal or human body that these microorganisms feed on and multiply.
The individual host should be susceptible because these individuals have a low resistance to these microorganisms. Truth be told, though, some bacteria and viruses are sometimes helpful to the human body.
For example, the live bacteria found on vaccines like Bacillus Calmette Guerin or BCG; helps to ward off illnesses and increase the children's resistance to the disease-causing microorganisms.
Not to mention the Human papillomavirus that is given as a vaccine as well to prevent polio. These are just a few of the good bacteria and viruses that help the human body and increase the resistance to diseases.
How do pathogenic bacteria and viruses infect the body?
Though bacteria and viruses are natural floras of the environment and some bacteria and viruses help build the body's resistance to future bacterial infestation, some are pathogenic bacteria and viruses and are mainly the cause of illnesses or diseases as well. There is a specific name to that process.
The process of infecting the body by these pathogens is known as The Chain of Infection in the medical world. It starts from the Pathogen or Infectious Agent, natural floras, and deposits found in the drinking water, land, or even the food we eat. These sources of deposits of pathogenic bacteria and viruses are called reservoirs.
Once we drink, eat or touch the reservoirs of the pathogenic bacteria and viruses, we expose ourselves to these disease-causing microorganisms. Thus the Portal of Exit occurs.
The exit portal is when the pathogenic bacteria and viruses exit the reservoir where the microorganisms are stored, and then the Mode of Transmission happens.
The transmission mode is how the pathogenic bacteria and viruses will enter the host, and it can be through skin-to-skin contact or by mouth.
By the time the pathogenic bacteria and viruses were transmitted, the Portal of Entry happens wherein the pathogenic bacteria and viruses enter the Susceptible Host. The moment it enters the body, it multiplies until the infected host feels signs and symptoms.
Some of the initial signs and symptoms are flu, runny nose, unproductive cough, and fever. The initial signs and symptoms are the result of the body’s resistance to fight these microorganisms.
Though each is susceptible to diseases, in the case of individuals who cannot fight these microorganisms, they develop serious and sometimes debilitating diseases.
Some of the diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria and viruses are life-threatening and incurable. Knowing all this information, how safe are we from these disease-causing microorganisms?
How pathogenic bacteria and viruses are removed from our drinking water, and how can we drink safe water?
Now that we know that one of the reservoirs of pathogenic bacteria and viruses in water, how can we assure ourselves that it is safe to drink?
To ensure that water is potable to drink, the water treatment facility has certain processes to remove pathogenic bacteria and viruses from water and make it safe to drink.
Some public water treatment systems use chemicals to remove pathogenic bacteria and viruses from drinking water. Some water treatment facilities use different processes to kill pathogenic bacteria and viruses in drinking water. Such a process is with the use of radiation.
Giving short information about the process of purifying drinking water, first and foremost, water coming from water sources such as springs, rivers, and lakes and directed to dams for storage.
Once stored in dams, it goes to the public water treatment facility to be filtered and purified. Drinking water will be filtered from organic substances that are present in water.
Once filtered from particles, water will be directed to different stores to be chlorinated. Though not all pathogenic bacteria and viruses are affected, chlorine aids in killing these microorganisms found in drinking water.
Chlorine is left to be dissolved in water, and until the smell of chlorine is not detected in the water, then will be distributed to the community to be used.
There is a water treatment facility that doesn’t just end with the chlorination process. Some use chemicals to filter and purify water to ensure that pathogenic bacteria and viruses are removed from drinking water. Some water treatment plants use ultra Violet radiation to kill pathogenic bacteria and viruses.
The use of chemicals acts as reagents to remove pathogenic microorganisms.
Depending on the use, some chemicals reagents are used as flocculating agents wherein, when mixed with water, these reagents clump particles together that will be large enough to be filtered out and remove from water, and some chemical reagents used have an unusual reaction.
These chemical reagents give off heat to kill pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Once done, another self-regulating chemical is added to water to give it a natural taste. Another way of purifying water is by using ultraviolet radiation after the chlorination process that inhibits bacterial growth in drinking water.
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