Effect of chlorination of drinking-water on water quality and childhood diarrhoea in a village in Pakistan.

An intervention study was carried out which involved chlorinating the public water supply system in a village in Pakistan to evaluate the importance of public-domain transmission of pathogens in drinking water. Drinking water source and the occurrence of diarrhoea were monitored weekly over 6mths among 144 village children aged under 5 years. Despite the improvement in drinking water quality, the incidence of diarrhoea was not lower in a neighbouring village where drinking water was not chlorinated and where water quality was poor. The study was of limited size. J Health Popul Nutr 2003;21:26-31.