Guinea Worm Disease Persuasive Speech Outline

I. Introduction

A. Attention Step: Can you imagine living each day with little to no water. Not even enough water for a toilet or a shower. While reading my textbook for my nutrition class, I came across this horrific picture that disturbed me to the core. It prompted me to want to know more about what this all means. (PICTURE)

B. Establish Credibility: According to the CDC, it is estimated that 801,000 children under the age of 5, around the globe, die from diarrhea each year. Most deaths occur in developing countries without access to adequate clean water. This equals nearly 2,200 children that are dying every day because of diarrheal diseases from contaminated water. In Flint, Michigan there are 9,000 children with

lead poisoning from the contaminated waters. There is a plethora of information available about the water crisis. For this speech I will define what water scarcity, give an overview of the top 3 diseases associated with water scarcity and offer some tips on how you can help your community now.

C. Research Question: What is water scarcity and its health consequences?

TRANSITION: Water scarcity is a broad topic, but an important one. A picture can speak a thousand words. Lets summarize what it means.

D. Brief Preview of Main Points

1. Main Point 1- Summarize what is water scarcity?

2. Main Point 2- What are the most common diseases are related to water scarcity?

3. Main Point 3- 3 ways we can help to conserve clean water at home.

II. Body

A. Main Point 1 – Problem and Research Question: Summarize what is water scarcity?

a. Sub-point 1
What does water scarcity mean? This is a global problem with many causes such as drought, lack of resources or disaster such as war. It means lack of water, or inadequate safe water in any geographic area for human, animal and environmental use. In many places, there may be water not far off, but there are very little resources such as money and ability to bring the water to the home making it too expensive. This can be called economic water scarcity. On the other hand, there could be physical scarcity, which means there is no water at all or just not enough. Even though the U.S. has one of the cleanest water supplies in the world, illnesses from contaminated drinking water does occur. The CDC monitors water-related outbreaks, which average about 30 per year. Water safety experts at the CDC note that this average likely underestimates the true number of illnesses caused by contaminated water.

b. Sub-point 2
Most common diseases related water scarcity
Guinea Worm Disease, Trachoma, and Schistosomiasis. These diseases are most often found in places with unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation, and insufficient hygiene practices.

B Main Point 2 – Review of Literature to address Problem

a.

Sub-point 1

Guinea worm disease

People become infected with Guinea worm by drinking water from ponds and other stagnant water containing tiny "water fleas" that carry the Guinea worm larvae. The larvae are eaten by the water fleas that live in these water sources.

Once drunk, the larvae are released from copepods in the stomach and penetrate the digestive track, passing into the body cavity. During the next 10-14 months, the female larvae grow into full-size adults. These adults grow up to 3 feet long and as wide as a cooked spaghetti noodle.

When the adult female worm is ready to emerge, she creates a blister on the skin anywhere on the body, but usually on the legs and feet. This blister causes a very painful burning feeling and it bursts within 24-72 hours. Immersing the affected body part into water helps relieve the pain. It also causes the Guinea worm to come out of the wound and release a milky white liquid into the water that contains millions of immature larvae. This contaminates the water supply and starts the cycle over again. For several days, the female worm can release more larvae whenever it comes in contact with

water.

People do not usually have symptoms until about one year after they become infected. A few days to hours before the worm comes out of the skin, the person may develop a fever, swelling, and pain in the area. More than 90% of the worms come out of the legs and feet, but worms can appear on other body parts too.

There have been 2 known reported cases in the US.
Currently there is no treatment.

b. Sub-point 2
Trachoma is not necessarily a waterborne disease, but a direct result form lack of water.
Trachoma
WHO (world health organization) defines Trachoma as the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide. It is caused by an bacterium called Chlamydia trachomatis. The infection is transmitted through contact with eye and nose discharge of infected people, particularly young children who carry the infection. It is also spread by flies which have been in contact with the eyes and noses of infected people.

After years of repeated infection, the inside of the eyelid can become so severely scarred (trachomatous conjunctival scarring) that it turns inwards and causes the eyelashes to rub against the eyeball (trachomatous trichiasis), resulting in constant pain and light intolerance; this and other alterations of the eye can lead to scarring of the cornea. Left untreated, this condition leads to the formation of irreversible opacities, with resulting visual impairment or blindness.

c. Sub-point 3
Schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis is a disease caused by parasitic worms. It is not common in the United States but it infects over 200 million people worldwide. According to WHO, More than 66.5 million people were reported to have been treated for schistosomiasis in 2015.

This disease is second only to malaria as the most devastating parasitic disease worldwide. Freshwater snails infected by the parasite Schistosoma; larvae emerge from the snails and swim in the water until they come into contact with an individual and penetrate the skin.

Transmission occurs when people suffering from schistosomiasis contaminate freshwater sources with their excreta containing parasite eggs, which hatch in water. By wading in snail infested water. swimming, bathing, fishing and even domestic chores such as laundry and herding livestock can put people at risk of contracting the disease

In the body, the larvae develop into adult schistosomes. Adult worms live in the blood vessels where the females release eggs. Some of the eggs are passed out of the body in the faeces or urine to continue the parasite’s lifecycle. Others become trapped in body tissues, causing immune reactions and progressive damage to organs.

Symptoms of schistosomiasis are caused by the body’s reaction to the worms' eggs.

Intestinal schistosomiasis can result in abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and blood in the stool. Liver and spleen enlargement is common in advanced cases, and is frequently associated with ascites and portal hypertension.

The classic sign of urogenital schistosomiasis is haematuria (blood in urine). Fibrosis of the bladder and ureter, and kidney damage are sometimes diagnosed in advanced cases. In men and women, urogenital schistosomiasis may present with genital lesions, bleeding, and may also have other long-term irreversible consequences such as infertility.
Praziquantel is the primary form of treatment

C. Main Point 3 – Answer(s) to Research Question based on Literature

a. Sub-point 1
How can we help? Get involved. There are hundreds of organizations that are dedicated to the helping in water crisis. For example, the Water Project, https://thewaterproject.org/water-scarcity/, water.org co-founded by actor Matt Damon, National Geographic Society’s Freshwater Initiative
educational campaign designed to teach people about the importance of freshwater and empower them to commit to small actions (such as recycling, installing low-flow shower heads, and fixing leaky faucets) that will help conserve this precious resource.
b. Sub-point 2
Simple Tips to conserve water.
http://wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve/page/1/
• Shorten shower time
• Turn off faucets tightly after using to prevent leaking
• Immediately fix leaks. We are likely to notice indoor leaks but don’t forget to check for outdoor faucets, pipes and hoses.
• Equip fountains and pools with recirculation equipment
• Turn off tap water while brushing teeth
• Wash your fruits and vegetables in a pan of water rather than under “running water”
• When hand-washing dishes, never run water continuously. Wash dishes in a partially filled sink and then rinse them using the spray attachment on your tap.
• Install water saving gadgets to the shower heads, toilet low flush device and faucets.
• Use only cleaning products that will not harm the environment when they are washed away after use. Look for "environmentally friendly" products when shopping.
• Water lawns every three to five days, rather than for a short period every day.
• Water during the cool part of the day, in the morning or evening. Do not water on windy days.
• Do not over-water in anticipation of a shortage. Soil cannot store extra water.

III. Conclusion

A. Review Main Points: Water scarcity means lack of water, or inadequate safe water for human, animal and environmental use, in any geographic area.

B. Re-state Research Question: What is water scarcity and its health consequences?

C. Final [Positive] Thought

NOTE: You must use this exact outline format (i.e., include bolded roman numerals, letters, numbers, headings, indentations, spacing just as you see above).
Copy and paste this outline into a Word document, and fill in the relevant points.

6. Annotated Bibliography of at least 4 sources. Describe each source in a couple of sentences, demonstrating its applicability to your speech.