CDC - Water-related Diseases, Contaminants, and Injuries Home

Alphabetical Index - Disease listing by name
Primary symptom/illness - Disease listing by primary symptom, illness, or body location
Type of disease/contaminant - Bacterial, Parasitic, Viral, Chemical, Other

Many illnesses, contaminants, and injuries can be water, sanitation, or hygiene-related. Waterborne diseases are caused by organisms that are directly spread through water. Water-related illnesses can be acquired due to a lack of water for good hygiene, lack of sanitation, or increasing insect populations that breed in water and then spread disease.

It is important to know how these diseases and contaminants affect you, where they are found, and how you can reduce your chance of getting ill or suffering injury. This information will allow you to make informed decisions about your water, hygiene, and sanitation-related activities.

Water-related Diseases, Contaminants, and Injuries Topics

Alphabetical Index

Alphabetical listing by name of the organism, contaminant, or injury...

Type of disease, contaminant, or injury

Listing by type (Bacterial, Parasitic, Viral, Chemical, Other)...

Symptom, illness, or location

Listing by primary symptom, illness, or body location...

Healthy Water Sites

2007-2008

Surveillance for Waterborne Disease and Outbreaks --- United States, 2007--2008. [PDF - 2.8 mb]

For reports from previous years, please see Waterborne Disease & Outbreak Reports.

* Based on tracking of waterborne outbreaks from 1971-2006. Outbreak reporting is dependent on detection, investigation, and reporting of the outbreak. This requires health effects to be measured and these health effects to be linked to water exposure. However, many contaminants (i.e., many chemicals) in drinking water may not cause easily recognizable outbreaks because they require a long chronic exposure period. As a result, they would not be part of waterborne disease outbreak reporting or part of this Top 10 list.