Água, saúde e territórios: uma breve discussão

Abstract

Water, at the same time environment and vital resource, interacts in various ways on human health: vector for microbial or toxic agents, living environment for biological vectors, or natural power fostering the development of epidemics during extreme events or disasters. All these dimensions of interaction with human health are the subject of differentiated public policies, at the supranational, national and local scales, in territories that play both as places of ownership and life but also as places for the expression of measures of policies and survey, prevention and health. After a presentation of some water-related diseases among those of greatest concern for global public health (amebiasis, schistosomiasis / bilharziosis and malaria), we present the more specific situation of the Brazilian territory, particularly with regard to infant diarrhea, malaria and dengue, the schistosomiasis and leptospirosis, and some of the measures recently implemented by the Brazilian Government to try to stop it.