“Prevalence of Food and Water Borne Disease in Yelwa Bauchi”

Food- and waterborne diseases remain major public health concerns in developing countries, particularly in communities where access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, and proper hygiene practices may be limited. This study assessed the occurrence of waterborne diseases and associated household, sanitation, and drinking-water source characteristics among residents of Yelwa, Bauchi State, Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was adopted, and data were collected from 1,000 respondents using structured questionnaires. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, frequency distributions, percentages, and chi-square tests to examine associations between selected variables and reported waterborne illness. The findings showed that well water was the most commonly reported drinking-water source (32.4%), followed by borehole water (23.7%) and sachet water (16.7%). Approximately 60.1% of respondents reported treating their drinking water before consumption, while 39.3% reported that they did not. Of the respondents, 277 (27.7%) reported experiencing a waterborne illness within the preceding three years. Among these respondents, diarrhoea was the most frequently reported illness, accounting for 51.9%, followed by typhoid fever (16.4%), dysentery (6.8%), and cholera (3.5%). The study also identified potential environmental and sanitation concerns, including nearby waste disposal and uncovered drainage around residential areas. These findings suggest that reported waterborne illness in the study population warrants greater attention to drinking-water safety, sanitation, and hygiene education. The study recommends routine monitoring of drinking-water quality, improved sanitation infrastructure, public health education, and strengthened disease surveillance to reduce the risk of waterborne infections in Yelwa, Bauchi State. Further research incorporating laboratory analysis of drinking-water samples and clinically verified disease records is recommended to establish contamination levels and clarify the relationship between water quality and disease occurrence.