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Gnimadi CJI, Gawou K, Aboah M, Owiredu EO, Adusei-Gyamfi J. Assessing the Influence of Hand-Dug Well Features and Management on Water Quality. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH INSIGHTS 2024; 18:11786302241249844. [PMID: 38751904 PMCID: PMC11095203 DOI: 10.1177/11786302241249844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Underground water quality can be affected by natural or human-made influences. This study investigates how the management and characteristics of hand-dug wells impact water quality in 3 suburbs of Kumasi, Ghana, using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. Descriptive analysis, including frequency and percentages, depicted the demographic profiles of respondents. Box plot diagrams illustrated the distribution of physicochemical parameters (Total Dissolved Solid [TDS], Electrical Conductivity [EC], Turbidity, Dissolved Oxygen [DO], and Temperature). Factor analysis evaluated dominant factors among these parameters. Cluster analysis (hierarchical clustering) utilized sampling points as variables to establish spatial variations in water physicochemical parameters. Cramer's V correlation test explored relationships between demographic variables and individual perceptions of water management. One-way ANOVA verified significant mean differences among the physicochemical parameters. Logistic regression models assessed the influence of selected well features (e.g., cover and apron) on TDS, pH, Temperature, Turbidity, and DO. The findings revealed that proximity to human settlements affects water quality, and increasing turbidity is associated with unmaintained covers, significantly impacting water quality (P < .05). Over 80% of wells were located within 10 to 30 m of pollution sources, with 65.63% situated in lower ground and 87.5% being unmaintained. Other significant contamination sources included plastic bucket/rope usage (87.50%), defective linings (75%), and apron fissures (59.37%). Presence of E. coli, Total coliform, and Faecal coliform rendered the wells unpotable. Factor analysis attributed 90.85% of time-based and spatial differences to organic particle decomposition factors. However, Cramer's V correlation analysis found establishing association between demographic factor associations with individual perceptions of hand-dug well management difficult. It is encouraged to promote hand-dug well construction and maintenance standards to ensure that wells are properly built and protected from contamination sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Julien Isac Gnimadi
- Department of Environmental Science, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Kokoutse Gawou
- Industrial Chemistry Section, Department of Chemistry, College of Agricultural and Natural Science, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
| | - Michael Aboah
- Department of Environmental Science, School of Biological Science, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
| | - Emmanuel Odame Owiredu
- Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Junias Adusei-Gyamfi
- Department of Environmental Science, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
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Harris AR, Daly SW, Pickering AJ, Mrisho M, Harris M, Davis J. Safe Today, Unsafe Tomorrow: Tanzanian Households Experience Variability in Drinking Water Quality. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:17481-17489. [PMID: 37922469 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c05275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2023]
Abstract
Measuring Escherichia coli in a single-grab sample of stored drinking water is often used to characterize drinking water quality. However, if water quality exhibits variability temporally, then one-time measurement schemes may be insufficient to adequately characterize the quality of water that people consume. This study uses longitudinal data collected from 193 households in peri-urban Tanzania to assess variability in stored water quality and to characterize uncertainty with different data collection schemes. Households were visited 5 times over the course of a year. At each visit, information was collected on water management practices, and a sample of stored drinking water was collected for E. coli enumeration. Water quality was poor for households, with 80% having highly contaminated (>100 CFU per 100 mL) water during at least one visit. There was substantial variability of water quality for households, with only 3% of households having the same category (low, medium, or high) of water quality for all five visits. These data suggest a single sample would inaccurately characterize a household's drinking water quality over the course of a year and lead to misestimates of population level access to safe drinking water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela R Harris
- Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University, 915 Partners Way, Campus Box 7908, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, United States
| | - Sean W Daly
- Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University, 915 Partners Way, Campus Box 7908, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, United States
| | - Amy J Pickering
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, University California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | | | - Michael Harris
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, University California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Jennifer Davis
- Environmental Engineering & Science, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
- Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
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Stoler J, Jepson WE, Brewis A, Wutich A. Frontiers of household water insecurity metrics: severity, adaptation and resilience. BMJ Glob Health 2023; 8:bmjgh-2023-011756. [PMID: 37137537 PMCID: PMC10163551 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-011756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The measurement of household-level and individual-level water insecurity has accelerated over the past 5 years through innovation and dissemination of new survey-based experiential psychometric scales modelled after food insecurity scales. These measures offer needed insight into the relative frequency of various dimensions of water problems experienced by households or individuals. But they currently tell us nothing about the severity of these experiences, mitigating behaviours (ie, adaptation) or the effectiveness of water-related behaviours (ie, resilience). Given the magnitude of the global challenge to provide water security for all, we propose a low-cost, theoretically grounded modification to common water insecurity metrics in order to capture information about severity, adaptation and resilience. We also discuss ongoing challenges in cost-effective measurement related to multidimensionality, water affordability and perception of water quality for maximising the impact and sustainability of water supply interventions. The next generation of water insecurity metrics promises better monitoring and evaluation tools-particularly in the context of rapid global environmental change-once scale reliability across diverse contexts is better characterised.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Stoler
- Department of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Wendy E Jepson
- Department of Geography, Texas A&M University College Station, College Station, Texas, USA
- Texas Water Resources Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Alexandra Brewis
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Amber Wutich
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
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Adams EA, Byrns S, Kumwenda S, Quilliam R, Mkandawire T, Price H. Water journeys: Household water insecurity, health risks, and embodiment in slums and informal settlements. Soc Sci Med 2022; 313:115394. [PMID: 36208502 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 07/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Water insecurity is a critical public-health challenge in Africa's urban informal settlements, where most of the population often lacks access to household taps. In these settings, water fetching is disproportionately performed by women. While water fetching is physically laborious and exposes women to multiple risks, the water-insecurity literature has predominantly focused on household experiences, ignoring women's water-collection journeys. This paper uses the water journey as a window into the embodied dimensions of water insecurity. Combining theoretical insights from embodiment, embodied political ecology of health, and time geographies, we use video-recorded walking interviews to analyze women's everyday water journeys in Ntopwa, an urban informal settlement in Blantyre, Malawi, from initial decision making through exposure to water-fetching risks and household practices regarding use and storage. We identify three principal sources of environmental risk- terrain, built environment, and human behavior-that present challenges for water collectors. Using the walking interview as a heuristic, we show how the seemingly simple practice of water fetching is compounded by complex decision making, constant spatiotemporal trade-offs, and exposure to diverse risks, all of which have embodied health consequences. Based on our findings, we conclude that interventions seeking to improve household water insecurity must consider the embodied effects of water-fetching journeys. This study also provides methodological insights into using walking interviews and videos for water and health research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellis Adjei Adams
- Keough School of Global Affairs, Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, 1010 Jenkins Nanovic Halls, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA.
| | - Sydney Byrns
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK.
| | - Save Kumwenda
- Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS), Department of Environmental Health, Private Bag 303, Chichiri, Blantyre 3, Malawi.
| | - Richard Quilliam
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK.
| | - Theresa Mkandawire
- Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS), Department of Civil Engineering, Private Bag 303, Chichiri, Blantyre 3, Malawi.
| | - Heather Price
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK.
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Joshi N, Lopus S, Hannah C, Ernst KC, Kilungo AP, Opiyo R, Ngayu M, Davies J, Evans T. COVID-19 lockdowns: Employment and business disruptions, water access and hygiene practices in Nairobi's informal settlements. Soc Sci Med 2022; 308:115191. [PMID: 35930847 PMCID: PMC9258418 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Host to one billion people around the world, informal settlements are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 lockdown measures as they already lack basic services such as water, toilets, and secure housing. Additionally, many residents work in informal labor markets that have been affected by the lockdowns, resulting in further reductions in access to resources, including clean water. This study uses a cross-sectional design (n = 532) to examine the vulnerabilities of households to employment and business disruptions, water access and hygiene practices during the COVID-19 lockdowns between April and June 2020 in three informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. We used survey questions from the Household Water Insecurity Experience Scale (HWISE) to investigate the relationship between employment and business disruptions, water access, and hygiene practices (i.e., hand washing, body washing, clothes washing, and being able to use or drink clean water). Of the sampled households, 96% were forced to reduce work hours during the lockdowns, and these households had 92% lower odds of being able to afford water than households who did not experience a work hour reduction (OR = 0.08, p < .001). Household challenges in affording water were likely due to a combination of reduced household income, increased water prices, and pre-existing poverty, and were ultimately associated with lower hygiene scores (Beta = 1.9, p < .001). Our results highlight a compounding tragedy of reduced water access in informal settlements that were already facing water insecurities at a time when water is a fundamental requirement for following hygiene guidelines to reduce disease burden during an ongoing pandemic. These outcomes emphasize the need for targeted investments in permanent water supply infrastructures and improved hygiene behaviors as a public health priority among households in informal settlements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nupur Joshi
- School of Geography, Development and Environment, University of Arizona, United States.
| | - Sara Lopus
- Department of Social Sciences, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo, United States.
| | - Corrie Hannah
- Arizona Institutes for Resilient Environment and Societies (AIRES), University of Arizona, United States.
| | - Kacey C Ernst
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics Department, University of Arizona, United States.
| | - Aminata P Kilungo
- Community, Environment, and Policy Department, University of Arizona, United States.
| | - Romanus Opiyo
- Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Nairobi, Kenya.
| | - Margaret Ngayu
- Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Nairobi, Kenya.
| | - Julia Davies
- School of Geography, Development and Environment, University of Arizona, United States.
| | - Tom Evans
- School of Geography, Development and Environment, University of Arizona, United States.
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Abstract
Intermittent water supply systems (IWSSs) are prevalent in most developing countries and some developed ones. Their usage is driven by necessity rather than as a principal objective, mostly due to technical and economic deficiencies. Major health risks and socio-economic inequities are associated with such systems. Their impacts are aggravated by climate changes and the COVID-19 crisis. These are likely to have profound implications on progress toward advancing sustainable development goals (SDGs). Motivated by providing a comprehensive overview of global knowledge on IWSSs, the present work proposed to track and analyze research works on IWSSs utilizing bibliometric techniques and visual mapping tools. This includes investigating the trends and growth trajectories of research works on IWSSs and analyzing the various approaches proposed to expand our understanding with respect to the management, modeling, optimization, and impacts of IWSSs. The national and international contributions and collaboration figures are further analyzed at country, institution, author, and source levels. This analysis indicates that research works conducted on IWSSs have certain expectations in terms of productivity (total global productivity; 197 documents). The United States was the best country in terms of productivity (58 documents; 29.4%), while the Water Switzerland journal was the most productive journal (19 documents; 9.6%). The impacts of IWSSs on health and well-being have attracted considerable attention. The outcomes showed deep and justified worries in relation to the transition from intermittent to continuous supply, equity, and mitigating the health risks associated with IWSSs in the foreseen future. The utilization of artificial intelligence techniques and expert systems will drive and shape future IWSS-related research activities. Therefore, investments in this regard are crucial.
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Attafuah PYA, Everink I, Abuosi AA, Lohrmann C, Schols JMGA. Quality of life of older adults and associated factors in Ghanaian urban slums: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e057264. [PMID: 35149573 PMCID: PMC8845194 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-057264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study provides insight into the quality of life (QoL) of older adults living in urban slums in Ghana. DESIGN The study employed a community-based, cross-sectional design to assess QoL among older adults in two slums between April and May 2020. QoL was assessed using the WHO Quality of Life-Brief version (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. SETTINGS Participants were drawn from two slums in Ghana, one in a fishing-dominated community and the other in an industrial community. PARTICIPANTS This study included 400 participants aged 60 and above who had lived in either slum for at least 1 month and were able to communicate verbally. RESULTS Although the means of all participants' transformed scores were poor in the physical and psychological domains, they were moderate in all other domains. When viewed as a whole, the perceived overall QoL is neither poor nor good and participants were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with their health. Participants had a moderate level of QoL in the WHOQOL-BREF psychological (mean score 45.7), social (mean score 57.0) and environmental (mean score 51.6) domains. The mean score for physical QoL of older adults was 43.3, which denotes poor QoL. In all domains, male participants have a significantly higher mean QoL than their female counterparts. An analysis of variance comparing the living arrangements of participants showed that those who lived with extended family had high mean scores in environmental QoL, overall QoL and satisfaction with health. Regression analysis revealed that QoL was influenced mostly by the environmental (46.2%), followed by the psychological (43.7%), physical (31%) and social (20.4%) domains. CONCLUSIONS The findings from this study show that older adults living in slums had moderate psychological, social and environmental QoL and poor physical QoL. Although the mean scores for QoL are higher than anticipated, health policy development must take into account the specific needs of older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscilla Yeye Adumoah Attafuah
- Community Health Nursing Department, School of Nursing and Midwivery, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
- Faculty of Health Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Health Services Research, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Irma Everink
- Faculty of Health Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Health Services Research, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Aaron Asibi Abuosi
- Public Administration and Health Services Management, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Christa Lohrmann
- Department of Nursing Science, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Jos M G A Schols
- Faculty of Health Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Health Services Research, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of General Practice, School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Sidote MN, Goodman ZT, Paraggio CL, Tutu RA, Stoler J. Measurement invariance of a household water insecurity metric in Greater Accra, Ghana: Implications for test-retest reliability. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2022; 240:113922. [PMID: 35026673 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2022.113922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The mitigation of household water insecurity is recognized as an important component of global poverty alleviation, but until recently was difficult to measure. Several new metrics of household water insecurity have been proposed and validated, but few have been field-tested for reliability in diverse contexts. We used confirmatory factor analysis to test the psychometric equivalence of one such metric-the Household Water Insecurity Experiences (HWISE) scale-across two survey waves administered 18 months apart in similar climatic conditions among households in a peri-urban community outside of Accra, Ghana. The HWISE metric was not equivalent across survey waves, which may be attributable to the metric itself, sample size, subtle instrumentation changes, or other unobserved factors. Test-retest reliability may also be difficult to achieve given the dynamic nature of household water use, and we discuss the implications of using household water insecurity metrics as longitudinal measures of well-being in global anti-poverty programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa N Sidote
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Zachary T Goodman
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
| | - Christina L Paraggio
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
| | - Raymond A Tutu
- Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Delaware State University, Dover, DE, USA
| | - Justin Stoler
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA; Department of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.
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Holcomb DA, Knee J, Capone D, Sumner T, Adriano Z, Nalá R, Cumming O, Brown J, Stewart JR. Impacts of an Urban Sanitation Intervention on Fecal Indicators and the Prevalence of Human Fecal Contamination in Mozambique. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:11667-11679. [PMID: 34382777 PMCID: PMC8429117 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c01538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Fecal source tracking (FST) may be useful to assess pathways of fecal contamination in domestic environments and to estimate the impacts of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions in low-income settings. We measured two nonspecific and two human-associated fecal indicators in water, soil, and surfaces before and after a shared latrine intervention from low-income households in Maputo, Mozambique, participating in the Maputo Sanitation (MapSan) trial. Up to a quarter of households were impacted by human fecal contamination, but trends were unaffected by improvements to shared sanitation facilities. The intervention reduced Escherichia coli gene concentrations in soil but did not impact culturable E. coli or the prevalence of human FST markers in a difference-in-differences analysis. Using a novel Bayesian hierarchical modeling approach to account for human marker diagnostic sensitivity and specificity, we revealed a high amount of uncertainty associated with human FST measurements and intervention effect estimates. The field of microbial source tracking would benefit from adding measures of diagnostic accuracy to better interpret findings, particularly when FST analyses convey insufficient information for robust inference. With improved measures, FST could help identify dominant pathways of human and animal fecal contamination in communities and guide the implementation of effective interventions to safeguard health.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Holcomb
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States of America
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States of America
| | - Jackie Knee
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States of America
- Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom
| | - Drew Capone
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States of America
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States of America
| | - Trent Sumner
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States of America
| | | | - Rassul Nalá
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde, Ministério da Saúde, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Oliver Cumming
- Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom
| | - Joe Brown
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States of America
| | - Jill R. Stewart
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States of America
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