Uncovering the infectious disease burden and socio-cultural determinants of water use and health in a rural community in the Dominican Republic

Rural communities in the Dominican Republic have experienced significant economic and touristic growth. In this context, access to water is crucial for everyday life and for the sustainability of an established agricultural economy and an emerging tourist industry. Using a mixed-methods design, this cross-sectional, observational descriptive study in a northwestern municipality in the country will investigate: (1) water quality and infectious disease morbidity, (2) sociocultural determinants of environmental health exposures related to water among community members; and (3) the relationship between the three most prevalent communicable diseases and water utilization. A case series will be conducted with randomly selected medical records from the main hospital. Water sampling will occur randomly throughout the community for coliform testing; samples will be plated with Coliscan Easygel, an EPA-approved method of E. coli and coliform testing. Results from water sampling will be integrated into a GIS to map the spatial distance of the reported infectious diseases with a creek in the community along which families have settled following internal migration patterns resulting from economic growth in the region. This study seeks to determine if there is a relationship between reported cases of communicable disease and the creek. Findings from this study will inform community health education and public health interventions.