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Volume 29, Number 7—July 2023
Research

Estimating Waterborne Infectious Disease Burden by Exposure Route, United States, 2014

Megan E. Gerdes1Comments to Author , Shanna Miko1, Jasen M. Kunz, Elizabeth J. Hannapel, Michele C. Hlavsa, Michael J. Hughes, Matthew J. Stuckey, Louise K. Francois Watkins, Jennifer R. Cope, Jonathan S. Yoder, Vincent R. Hill, and Sarah A. Collier
Author affiliations: Chenega Corporation, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (M.E. Gerdes); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta (M.E. Gerdes, S. Miko, J.M. Kunz, E.J. Hannapel, M.C. Hlavsa, M.J. Hughes, M.J. Stuckey, L.K. Francois Watkins, J.R. Cope, J.S. Yoder, V.R. Hill, S.A. Collier)

Main Article

Table 4

Number of deaths from selected illnesses domestically acquired from different water sources in study estimating waterborne infectious disease burden by exposure route, United States, 2014*

Disease or syndrome Water exposure route, no. deaths (95% CrI)
Recreational water† Drinking water‡ NRND water§
Acute otitis externa 208 (98–352) 6 (0–41) 5 (0–24)
Campylobacteriosis 9 (0–65) 12 (0–81) 6 (0–49)
Cryptosporidiosis 16 (0–96) 6 (0–46) 3 (0–22)
Giardiasis 0 (0–3) 0 (0–2) 0 (0–2)
Legionnaires’ disease 91 (15–347) 520 (180–858) 384 (122–727)
NTM infection 476 (0–1,650) 2,560 (950–4,370) 763 (0–2,110)
Norovirus infection 25 (0–116) 25 (0–114) 4 (0–32)
Pseudomonas pneumonia 349 (44–795) 43 (3–213) 339 (58–779)
Pseudomonas septicemia 50 (3–236) 112 (3–449) 532 (58–1,390)
Salmonellosis, nontyphoidal
 4 (0–24)
 18 (0–79)
 2 (0–11)
STEC infections
O157 serotype 1 (0–12) 0 (0–5) 0 (0–0)
Non-O157 serotype
0 (0–6)
 0 (0–1)
 0 (0–4)
Shigellosis
 0 (0–7)
 0 (0–0)
 0 (0–2)
Vibrio spp. infections 58 (0–53) 0 (0–0) 1 (0–0)
V. alginolyticus 1 (0–4) 0 (0–0) 0 (0–0)
V. parahaemolyticus 4 (0–9) 0 (0–0) 0 (0–0)
V. vulnificus 53 (21–84) 0 (0–5) 0 (0–13)
Other Vibrio spp.
 0 (0–2)
 0 (0–0)
 0 (0–0)
Total deaths 1,290 (591–2,520) 3,300 (1,630–5,180) 2,040 (909–3,690)

*Estimates are rounded to 3 significant figures. CrI, credible interval; NRND, nonrecreational nondrinking; NTM, nontuberculous mycobacteria; STEC, Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli.†Recreational water is used for recreational activities (e.g., swimming) in treated (e.g., pools, hot tubs, and splash pads) or untreated (e.g., lakes, rivers, and oceans) venues (19). ‡Drinking water is used primarily for drinking but can also be used for hygiene activities, like washing or showering, and can come from a public water system, a private well, or commercially bottled sources (19). §NRND water is used for purposes other than recreation or drinking (e.g., for agriculture, industry, medical treatment, backcountry streams, or flood waters) (19).

Main Article

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1These first authors contributed equally to this article.

Page created: May 10, 2023
Page updated: June 20, 2023
Page reviewed: June 20, 2023
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