Question

Scabies, an infection of the skin caused by Sarcoptes scabiei, is an example of:

• A. Water borne disease
• B. Water washed disease
• C. Water based disease
• D. Water related disease

Hint:

Think about which water category depends on hygiene and washing, not water quality.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

This question tests White's classification of diseases linked to water, which groups them by how water plays a part in spreading the disease, not just whether water carries the germ.

1. Water borne disease: These spread when a person drinks or eats something contaminated with germs from water, such as cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis A. Scabies does not spread this way, so this option is wrong.
2. Water washed disease: These spread when people do not have enough water to wash their body, clothes, and utensils. Poor hygiene lets skin and eye infections take hold. Scabies, lice, and trachoma all fall here. This fits scabies well.
3. Water based disease: These need part of their life cycle to happen inside an animal that lives in water, such as the guinea worm or the snail host of schistosomiasis. Scabies has no aquatic host, so this is wrong.
4. Water related disease: These spread through insects that breed in or near water, such as the mosquito that carries malaria or filaria. Scabies has no insect vector, so this is wrong.

The correct group is water washed disease, since scabies spreads through skin contact that becomes more common when washing facilities and water are limited.

Let's summarize:

• Water washed diseases result from a shortage of water for hygiene, not from contaminated water itself.
• Scabies, lice infestation, and trachoma are the classic examples of this group.

So scabies is correctly classified as a water washed disease.