Parasitic prevalence in different water sources of the Chagres River communities in the years 2010-2019

Abstract

Indigenous and rural communities live on the banks of the Chagres River that lack safe water for their consumption, which is why they have suffered from gastrointestinal diseases for years that affect their development. To demonstrate this situation of existing socioeconomic inequality in the capital of Panama, the purpose of this research is to determine the prevalence of parasites in the Chagres River waters used for human consumption. For which 10 L of drinking water was collected at 10 points within the indigenous communities (AChPP and AChT) and 15 points in a rural community (AChVL). The results found reveal that 67% of the river water used for consumption and 24% of the aqueduct water have parasites (p=0.11886). In addition, it is observed that the two indigenous communities have a 40% parasite prevalence compared to 21% in the rural community (p=1.0000). The study confirms the need to improve water quality in these three Chagres River communities.