ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines, in both a current and historical context, water-related illness in the United States. Emphasis is placed upon the transmission of infectious diseases through contaminated drinking water supplies and those deficiencies in water supply systems which allow waterborne outbreaks to occur. In the developed countries the concern for prevention of water-related illness is primarily with the quality and quantity of drinking water, but these are only two of the components necessary to reduce water-related illness in other countries. Waterborne diseases are those transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated water, and water acts as the passive carrier of the infectious or chemical agent. Water-washed diseases are closely related to poor hygienic habits and sanitation, and the availability of a sufficient quantity of water is generally felt to be more important than the quality of the water.
