Solar Disinfection (SODIS) of Drinking Water for Use in Developing Countries or in Emergency Situations
Condition: Dysentery; Diarrhoea
MeSH terms: Dysentery; Diarrhea
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      SODISWATER was a health impact assessment study investigating the effect of sunlight to
      inactivate microbial pathogens in drinking water. This study was carried out by observing
      whether children younger than 5 years old who drink solar disinfected water were healthier
      than those who did not. Health was measured by how often the children had diarrhoea or
      dysentery.

      Caregivers for the participants were given plastic bottles to place in the sun, water samples
      were then collected from these plastic bottles to be analyzed. They were also requested to
      fill in diarrhea diaries.

      TESTABLE RESEARCH HYPOTHESES:

      Health Impact Assessment: Children who use solar disinfected water will have:

      (a) lower morbidity due to non-bloody diarrhoea and bloody diarrhoea (c) increased growth
      rates (d) lower mortality (e) increased family productivity (f) decreased care-giver burden
      (g) increased school attendance
    

Detailed description: 
      The current evidence base for solar disinfection in the prevention of diarrhoeal disease in
      children rests on three published studies. All share two significant weaknesses: all were
      carried out in Kenya, in communities which have very high incidences of diarrhoeal disease
      and water characterised by high levels of both turbidity and microbial contamination.
      Furthermore, neither of the studies of diarrhoeal disease distinguished between dysentery
      (associated with significant risk of mortality) and other sorts of diarrhoea, which carry a
      far lower risk. The present study will extend the evidence base into communities at lower
      risk and with higher water quality. Furthermore, by using pictorial diaries, dysentery can be
      analysed as a specific health endpoint. Diarrhoea will be recorded consistent with the World
      Health organisation definition: three or more loose or watery stools in a 24-hour period
      and/or stools containing blood or mucus.

      AIM OF THE PROJECT IN RELATION TO HEALTH IMPACT ASSESSMENT STUDIES:

      The primary aim of the SODISWATER PROJECT is to demonstrate that SODIS is an appropriate
      intervention against diarrhoeal and waterborne disease among communities in developing
      countries and those affected by natural or man-made disasters by conducting multi-centred
      epidemiologically controlled Health Impact Assessments of the SODIS technique across the
      African Continent under a variety of social, geographical and climactic conditions.

      SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES OF SODISWATER IN RELATION TO HEALTH IMPACT ASSESSMENT STUDIES:

        1. Assessment of the change in health reasonably attributed to the provision of solar
           disinfected drinking water at the point of use in 3 countries (Kenya, Zimbabwe and
           Cambodia).

        2. Assessment of the relationship between solar disinfected drinking water and selected
           health indicators (including morbidity due to non-bloody diarrhoea and dysentery, weight
           loss, mortality, growth rates, productivity, care-giver burden, and school attendance.
           Mortality will also be monitored but the sample sizes are of insufficient size to
           produce detailed information and scaling up, to account for this is not possible due to
           prohibitive costs).

        3. Demonstration of the effectiveness of SODIS at household level.
    

Intervention name(s): SODIS Bottle
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): SODIS Bottles used by SODIS group to treat their drinking water
Other intervention name(s): Unused 2-litre PET bottles (e.g. Coca-Cola, Pepsi)
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: SODIS; waterborne; Disease; Diarrhoea; dysentery