Page 21 - GHES-2-1

Global Health Econ Sustain

REVIEW ARTICLE
Enhancing quality of life, public health, and

economic development in the Global South
through waterborne disease prevention with

ultraviolet C light-emitting diode technology

Jamie M. Reedy , Dana Pousty , Beldeen W. Waliaula , Josephat Maniga ,
1
4
2
3
2
5
Hadas Mamane , and Richard M. Mariita *
1 Department of Health Policy, Management, and Behavior, School of Public Health, State University
of New York at Albany, New York, United States of America
2 Water-Tech Laboratory, School of Mechanical Engineering, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
3 KTN Television/Standard Media Group, Nairobi, Kenya
4 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Health Sciences, Kampala International
University, Kampala, Uganda
5 Crystal IS Inc., an Asahi Kasei Company, New York, United States of America

Abstract
Academic editor:
Mihajlo Jakovljevic M.D. Ph.D. MAE
Waterborne diseases pose a significant public health challenge in the Global
*Corresponding author: South, attributed to inadequate access to clean water, insufficient sanitation
Richard M. Mariita
(richard.mariita@cisuvc.com) infrastructure, and poor water treatment systems. These factors contribute to the
contamination of water sources with microbial pathogens, placing individuals at
Citation: Reedy, JM., Pousty, D., a heightened risk of contracting waterborne diseases. Waterborne diseases in the
Waliaula, B.W., Maniga, J.,
Mamane, H., & Mariita, R.M. (2024). Global South are caused by various bacterial pathogens, parasites, and viruses, with
Enhancing quality of life, public factors such as climate change, water scarcity, and human pollution influencing
health, and economic development their proliferation. Vulnerable populations, including children, pregnant women,
in the Global South through
waterborne disease prevention with and immunocompromised individuals, bear the brunt of these diseases, resulting
ultraviolet C light-emitting diode in preventable deaths and hindering socioeconomic development due to health-
technology. Global Health Econ care costs. Traditional methods for combating these diseases have limitations,
Sustain, 2(1): 1984.
https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.1984 leading to the need for alternative water disinfection strategies, such as ultraviolet
C light-emitting diodes (UVC LEDs). This review examines both the current state
Received: October 9, 2023
of waterborne diseases in the Global South (i.e., disease prevalence, causes, and
Accepted: December 1, 2023 public/systemic impacts) and the current landscape of UVC LED technology for
Published Online: February 20, 2024 water disinfection. Through the lens of this multi-focus review, we also explore
the potential widespread implementation of UVC LED technology for water
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s).
This is an Open-Access article disinfection as a method of combating waterborne diseases to improve public
distributed under the terms of the health outcomes. Regulatory frameworks for UVC LED water treatment systems
Creative Commons Attribution in the Global South remain limited. To address this limitation, we recommend
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, an essential implementation framework that includes legislation, partnerships,
provided the original work is sustainability, affordability, industrial and environmental standards, and robust
properly cited. evaluation protocols. Finally, we provide a substantial overview of the future
Publisher’s Note: AccScience directions and research opportunities in UVC LED technology and water treatment
Publishing remains neutral with mechanisms aiming for promising public health outcomes. Embracing UVC LED
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional technology can help address persistent disease challenges and improve public
affiliations. health in regions with limited infrastructure, thereby moving closer to achieving

Volume 2 Issue 1 (2024) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.1984